The Best Treatment...
Surgery!

There are two types of surgery:

The Standard Parathyroid Operation - performed since 1925
The patient is under general anesthesia, with an expected hospital of one to three days. An incision (between 6" to 10") is made in the neck. The Thyroid Gland is moved aside, allowing the surgeon to find and observe the four parathyroid glands. The affected parathyroid gland(s) is removed. The cure rate is as low as 85% to 95%, depending on the skill of the surgeon, and whether the procedure is done by a general surgeon or an endocrine surgeon. The patient is left with a large scar on the neck, for life.


The MIRP (Minimally Invasive Radioguided Parathyroidectomy Operation) performed since 1995
The patient is given a local anesthesia (or anesthesia administered through a mask to make the patient comfortable) and a little something to put the patient at ease, so he or she is unaware of what is being done and will have no memory of the procedure afterward. An incision of one inch or smaller is made in the neck. The procedure takes 20 minutes, or less. The incision is usually covered with a bandaid, instead of closed with stitches. The surgery is minimally invasive and the recovery period much quicker than the old procedure. Some patients return to near-normal activities the day of surgery, with minimal pain. The cure rate when performed by a skilled endocrine surgeon is 99% or higher. The surgeon you pick should be regularly performing this procedure and do enough of these operations (at least once a week) to keep them familiar with the procedure. The surgeon should also have the necessary equipment and tools needed for the MIRP operation.


Important ---> There are no prescription medicines or OTC pills that will cure parathyroid disease.