This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery  • Endocrine Surgery  • Prognosis/ Outcomes  • Alert me on articles by topic

Clive Grant, MD

Arch Surg. 2006;141:700.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Not only does the study by Lew et al provide confidence in the long-term outcome of patients with hyperparathyroidism presenting in hypercalcemic crisis, it provides insight into the presentation and safe treatment of these patients, emphasizing current techniques. All of their patients certainly met the criteria for hypercalcemic crisis, with minimum serum calcium levels of 15 mg/dL (3.75 mmol/L) associated with signs and symptoms of hypercalcemic intoxication. Somewhat surprisingly, only 35% of their patients demonstrated mental status changes. Despite urgency in establishing the diagnosis, on average, 5 days elapsed between admission and parathyroidectomy—no doubt testimony to the severity of the hypercalcemia and the volume of fluid required to correct marked dehydration and facilitate excretion of the huge increased filtered load of calcium. There is definite risk of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias if hypercalcemia is not brought under control preoperatively.¹ Because the 2 principal causes are hyperparathyroidism and malignancy, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

RELATED ARTICLE

Long-term Results of Parathyroidectomy for Hypercalcemic Crisis
John I. Lew, Carmen C. Solorzano, and George L. Irvin, III
Arch Surg. 2006;141(7):696-699.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT