Fine needle aspiration and intraparathyroid intact parathyroid hormone measurement for reoperative parathyroid surgery.

Some authors have praised the value of fine needle aspiration (FNA) with measurement of intraparathyroid intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) for localization of the hypersecreting gland(s) in recurrent or persistent primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). The aim of the present study was to determinate whether FNA for iPTH assay is an effective procedure to distinguish between normal and hypersecreting parathyroid glands. We performed a prospective study of 170 patients who underwent cervicotomy.