Open AccessClosed Mediastinal Exploration in Patients With Persistent Hyperparathyroidism
Author(s) -
Samuel A. Wells,
Joel D. Cooper
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
annals of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.153
H-Index - 309
eISSN - 1528-1140
pISSN - 0003-4932
DOI - 10.1097/00000658-199111000-00004
Subject(s) - medicine , hyperparathyroidism , primary hyperparathyroidism , medline , general surgery , radiology , surgery , political science , law
Described are two patients with persistent hyperparathyroidism after unsuccessful neck explorations. Both had deep mediastinal parathyroid tumors located within the thymus gland. Formerly it had been the practice of the authors to perform a median sternotomy for the removal of such tumors. In the present cases, however, the neck was re-explored through a cervical incision and the entire thymus gland then was removed by the technique of "closed mediastinal thymectomy." An enlarged parathyroid gland was found embedded in the resected parenchyma of the thymus gland in each patient, and both were cured by the operation.