Abstract
The long-term effect of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on renal osteodystrophy (ROD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients has not been extensively studied so far. To examine this effect, we performed a cross-sectional study. Biochemical parameters of bone and bone mineral content, were measured in HD patients, who were divided into control (18 patients), secondary hyperparathyroidism (14 patients, 2°HPT), and PTX (8 patients, 45-56 months after PTX and autotransplantation of parathyroid glands) groups. Serum levels of C-PTH, intact-PTH, and osteocalcin were similar in the control and PTX groups, but these levels were significantly higher in the 2°HPT group than in the other two groups. The bone mineral content was measured by dual-energy X-ray bone absorptiometry. The ratio of total bone mass to lean body mass was significantly lower in the 2°HPT group than in the control group. Most other parameters, i.e. bone mineral content of total body, head, spine, trunk, arms, and legs, were lower in the 2°HPT group than in the control group, although the differences were not statistically significant. In contrast, the values of all parameters related to bone mineral content were similar in the PTX and 2°HPT groups. Our results suggest that PTX improves the biochemical parameters of bone, but may not necessarily restore the bone mineral content after 45-56 months. Further longitudinal study is necessary to confirm this conclusion.
