ABSTRACT
Parathyroidectomy is the only definitive cure for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). While bilateral neck exploration has been the conventional surgical approach and the mainstay of therapy, recent advances in technology have revolutionized the field, making a focused or minimally invasive approach to parathyroidectomy a reality. This change has taken place because of the development of accurate preoperative localization techniques able to select patients who have single-gland parathyroid disease (single adenoma) and can be managed by a minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Currently, the most reliable and practical diagnostic procedure is (99m)TC-sestamibi parathyroid scintigraphy, using different protocols depending on the institution's logistics and experience (classical dual-phase, oblique projections, various subtraction techniques and/or single photon-emission computed tomography or SPECT). Ultrasound has emerged as a complementary technique in the preoperative evaluation of PHPT, which can be used when scintigraphy is negative or as a confirmatory test. When these procedures fail to identify the enlarged gland, other non-invasive procedures such as computed tomographic scanning or magnetic resonance imaging are used in selected cases. A variety of surgical techniques have been employed to achieve a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure. These techniques include mini-incision unilateral parathyroid exploration and endoscopic, video-assisted and radio-guided parathyroidectomy. With optimized preoperative mapping, the success rate of these less invasive techniques equals that of the traditional bilateral approach. This review summarizes the imaging techniques and rationale for preoperative localization studies that are used before parathyroidectomy, as well as the current surgical approaches.