2022 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 39-43
Parathyroid carcinoma is extremely rare and is commonly diagnosed by pathological examination of a surgical specimen after resection for hyperparathyroidism. A 45-year-old woman broke her right clavicle during rehabilitation after undergoing surgery for a right femoral neck fracture. She was diagnosed as having severe osteoporosis and found to have hypercalcemia with high intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) . Thyroid ultrasound examination revealed a large mass (63 × 38 mm) in her cervical area which contained solid and cystic areas. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed the mass lesion was a tumor, the findings being similar to those of thyroid ultrasonography. Methoxy-isobutyl-isomitril scintigraphy showed positive uptake in the mass and the patient was diagnosed as having primary hyperparathyroidism associated with a right parathyroid tumor. Curative resection of the mass, including the right parathyroid and thyroid glands, was performed. The right recurrent nerve was not preserved because the tumor was considered to be invasive. The pathological diagnosis was parathyroid carcinoma. In this report we describe a rare case of a patient with hyperparathyroidism caused by parathyroid carcinoma diagnosed after the patient had experienced multiple bone fractures.
