Parathyroidectomy

Parathyroid surgery to manage abnormal calcium level.

About the organ. The parathyroid glands are small pea-sized glands located around the thyroid in the neck. Most people have four parathyroid glands, two in the left side and two in the right side of the neck. The parathyroid glands control the balance of calcium in your blood by making parathyroid hormone (PTH).

What’s the procedure?  Parathyroidectomy is the surgical removal of one or more parathyroid glands.

When is it needed? You may need surgery when one or more of your parathyroid glands have become overactive (hyperparathyroidism), causing an increase in the level of calcium in your blood.

How it’s done. If the investigation located the one enlarged gland, you will be offered minimally invasive parathyroidectomy surgery. This involves making a small incision (less than 2cm) in the lower neck and remove the abnormal parathyroid gland. If no enlarged gland is identified on the investigation, you will be offered a four-gland exploration surgery. This involves making an incision (4 to 5 cm) in the lower neck and examining all four parathyroid glands. Abnormally enlarged glands are removed while the normal-size gland will be left in the neck.