A comparison of minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy and traditional parathyroidectomy for parathyroid adenoma

Background: Pre-operative imaging techniques for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (SPHPT) and intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) have led to the wide spread use of minimally invasive surgical approaches. Study Design: In our prospectively collected database, 157 subjects with SPHPT and a preoperative diagnosis of parathyroid adenoma were treated with parathyroidectomy between January 2003 and November 2011. Subjects in group A were enrolled between January 2003 to September 2006, and underwent traditional parathyroidectomy with intraoperative frozen section and bilateral neck exploration. Subjects in group B were enrolled between September 2006 to November 2011, and underwent minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy (MIVAP) with ioPTH. Operative times and post-operative pain levels were compared between groups. Subjects were followed for a minimum of 6 months post-operatively and recurrence rates and complication rates were measured between groups. Results: 81 subjects were enrolled in group A, and 76 subjects were enrolled in group B. Pre-operative evaluation demonstrated that the groups were statistically similar. Significantly decreased operative times (28min vs. 62min) and post-operative pain levels were noted in group B. Recurrence rates were similar between group A (3.7%) and group B (2.6%). Conclusions: MIVAP with ioPTH demonstrated significantly improved operative times and post-operative pain levels, while maintaining equivalent recurrence rates.