The value of intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and varying baseline parathyroid hormone levels.

Background: When applying intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring (IOPTH) to patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), there are established criteria predicting biochemical cure in patients with basal parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in the medium range (100-400 pg/ml); however, there is a challenge concerning patients with low (less than 100 pg/ml) or high (more than 400 pg/ml) basal PTH levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of the 'Vienna criterion' applied during IOPTH in patients with PHPT and various basal PTH concentrations.

Methods: Consecutive patients between 1999-2009 with a biochemical diagnosis of PHPT who underwent surgical parathyroidectomy were included.