Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Susan Jackson — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:27:33 GMT

Goos luck, yes the benefits of surgery out way leaving it. However when it comes to our own pets it's naturally to feel a little overwhelmed and protective of them. You'll worry i'm sure untill the sutures are removed.

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Sarah Southworth RVN CertVNECC — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:19:13 GMT

thats what i keep telling myself. have got to go for it, short term worry for long term gain .

thanks

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Steph Worsley — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:29:23 GMT

hey, thats fine just wanted to make sure she was able to get iCa done post surgery.

we have just done a parathyroidectomy on a 10yr old sbt and he's doing brill so i would def give it a go!!! risks of leaving it there i think out weigh the risks of removal

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Sarah Southworth RVN CertVNECC — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:51:53 GMT

Hi steph,

she had been referred as her Ca inhouse was raised and also her ion Ca has been consistently either increased or stayed same. We had x-ray of thorax and abdo, ultrasound, endoscope/biopsy. She has had arthrocentesis, ultrasound of neck which revealed a 2mm (i think) nodule in her left parathyroid gland. She has been fully investigated bless her, she will be 11 in November. But she looks fine, and she still thinks she is a 2 year old.

Keep going over in my mind if im being unfair to do surgery.

From what i understand if its left, can cause calcification of tissues, kidney failure, hypertension, weak bones leading to #'s.

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Steph Worsley — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:40:50 GMT

Susan has pretty much covered my knowledge of it.....however it is important to monitor her ionised calcium levels (not just her direct calcium levels which most inhouse machines monitor and is the most common one measured in any profile) pre and post surgery very closely for at least the first 48 hours if not longer, some places will supplement with vit d post surgery, but this can show false increases in calcium so care must be taken with this.

have you had a decent ultrasound scan of her abdo and her neck? as this will show any mineralisation anywhere

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Sarah Southworth RVN CertVNECC — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:28:45 GMT

Thank you for your reply, feeling happier about it now. Got to book in for surgery and wait for the histopathology to come back. She already has calcium oxalate in her urine , and Ca levels are raised, which is why we went searching.

Re: Primary Hyperparathyroidism ?

Susan Jackson — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:20:39 GMT

I think I'm missing having students, I seem to be posting a lot of teaching info. I thought I'd reply cos no-one else has.

'Primary' Hyperparathyroidism just means that the cause is the gland it-self and not a secondry source like kidney disease. My notes seem to indicate adenoma's as the main primary cause. This is a mass that is attached to the gland, which is probably what you can see or feel. Apparently it's rare in dogs and cats.

The basics:

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is secreted by the gland in responce to low levels of calcium in the blood, the hormone :

stimulates the release of calcium and phosphate from bones,

increase reabsoption of calcium in the kidney,

stop reabsoption of phospate in the kidney

stimulates production of calcitriol, which helps the absorption of calcium and phospate in the GI tract

Obviously if the gland is stimulated to release loads of PTH by the adenoma you're going to see increase in calcium levels in the blood. My notes arn't as good in this area but I've read previously about demineralisation of the bones, bladder stones, and low SG of the urine. I believe that the main issue is the high levels of calcium can start mineralising in inappropriate tissue like the heart, liver, kidney etc and can cause a little or significant damage to organs

Surgical intervention is treatment - so removing the adenoma. I think the problem occurs if this is a malignant tumour or if it affects all of the parathyroids and not just one.

Someone else may be able to help with the gaps I've got, but that's the basics. Good luck with the operation and outcome, and speak to your friends and the Vet if you're really worried.