Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T07:36:55.495Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

History of parathyroid gland surgery: an historical case series

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2009

C E B Giddings ,
J Rimmer  and
N Weir
C E B Giddings*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Barts and The London Hospitals, London, UK
J Rimmer
Affiliation:
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University College Hospital, London, UK
N Weir
Affiliation:
Mount Alvernia Hospital, Guildford, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Charles E B Giddings, 74 Walpole House, 126 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7UN, UK. E-mail: charliegiddings@doctors.org.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The history of the parathyroid glands is a fascinating one full of famous medical names. The discovery of the glands was followed by laborious research into their anatomy, embryology and pathology and into the physiology of calcium metabolism; this led to the manufacture of hormone substitutes and, finally, to the refinement of surgical techniques. The glands were first identified in 1850 by Sir Richard Owen, conservator of the Hunterian Museum, but it was not until 1880 that the term ‘glandulae parathyroideae’ was first used. The physiology of parathyroid hormone and calcium metabolism eluded physicians and the forefathers of thyroid surgery alike for several decades more. Patients were treated as curiosities and were documented as untreatable medical patients or as inexplicable thyroid surgery complications. Halsted noticed the ‘disastrous results from the loss of the glands’ and the resulting tetany, as did Billroth. It is the patients, however, who best illustrate the journey of discovery. In this review, we discuss three cases, highlighting their contributions.

Keywords

HistoryParathyroid GlandsSurgery
Type
Review Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 123 , Issue 10 , October 2009 , pp. 1075 - 1081
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Owen, R. On the anatomy of the Indian rhinoceros (Rh. Unicornis, L.). Trans Zool Soc Lond 1862;4:31–58Google Scholar
2Remak, R. Investigations on the Development of Vertebrate Animals [in German]. Berlin: G Reimer, 1855;39–40, 122–4Google Scholar
3Virchow, R. On Tumour Pathology [in German]. Berlin: A Hirschwald, 1863;3:13Google Scholar
4Sandström, IV. On a new gland in man and several mammals [in Finnish]. Upsala Läkareförenings Förhandlingar 1880;15:441–71Google Scholar
5Seipel, CM. An English translation of Sandström: on a new gland in man and several mammals. Bull Inst Hist Med 1938;6:192–222Google Scholar
6Breimer, L, Sourander, P. The discovery of the parathyroid glands in 1880: triumph and tragedy for Ivar Sandström. Bull Inst Hist Med 1981;5:558–63Google Scholar
7Wolfer, A. Goitre extirpation at Billroth's clinic from 1877 to 1881 [in German]. Wien Med Wochenschr 1882;32:5–7Google Scholar
8Halsted, WS. The operative story of goiter. The author's operation. The Johns Hopkins Hospital Reports 1920;19:71–257Google Scholar
9Gley, ME. On the functions of the thyroid gland [in French]. Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de Biologie et de ses filiales 1891;43:841–2Google Scholar
10Gley, E. On the effects of extirpation of the thyroid gland – comments on the notes of Arthaud and Magon [in French]. Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de biologie et de ses filiales 1891;3:551–4Google Scholar
11Vassale, G, Generali, F. On the effects of extirpation of the parathyroid glands [in Italian]. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1896;1:249–52Google Scholar
12Vassale, G, Generali, F. On the effects of extirpation of the parathyroid glands. The Alienist and Neurologist 1897;18:57–61Google Scholar
13MacCallum, WG, Voegtlin, C. The relation of the parathyroid to calcium metabolism and the nature of tetany. J Exp Med 1909;11:118–51CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14MacCallum, WG, Lambert, RA, Vogel, KM. The removal of calcium from the blood by dialysis in the study of tetany. J Exp Med 1914;20:149–68CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15von Recklinghausen, FD. The mutual relations of the fibrous or deformative osteitis, osteomalacia and osteoplastic carcinoma [in German]. Festschrift für Rudolph Virchow. Berlin: Riemer, 1891;1–89Google Scholar
16Erdheim, J. Dental calcification in rodent front teeth after epithelial gland transplantation [in German]. Frankfurter Zeitschrift für Pathologie 1911;7:295–342Google Scholar
17Erdheim, J. On epithelial glands with osteomalacia [in German]. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche 1907;116:311–70Google Scholar
18Askanazy, M. On osteitis deformans without bony tissue [in German]. Arbeiten aus dem pathologisch-anatomischen Institut zu Tübingen 1903;4:398–422Google Scholar
19Schlagenhaufer, F. Two cases of parathyroid tumour [in German]. Wien Klin Wochenschr 1915;28:1362Google Scholar
20Mandl, F. Therapeutic attempt in generalised osteitis fibrosa by extirpation of an epithelial gland tumour [in German]. Wien Klin Wochenschr 1925;50:1343–4Google Scholar
21Mandl, F. Clinical and experimental questions about localised and generalised osteitis fibrosa [in German]. Arch Klin Chir 1926;143:245–84Google Scholar
22Dolev, E. A gland in search of a function: the parathyroid glands and the explanations of tetany 1903–1926. J Hist Med Allied Sci 1987;42:186–98CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Collip, JB. Extraction of parathyroid hormone which will prevent or control parathyroid tetany and regulates level of blood calcium. J Biol Chem 1925;63:395–438CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Hanson, AM. The hydrochloric X Sicca: a parathyroid preparation of intramuscular injection. Milit Surgeon 1924;54:218–19Google Scholar
25Eknoyan, G. A history of the parathyroid glands. Am J Kidney Dis 1995;26:801–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Thompson, NW. The history of hyperparathyroidism. Acta Chir Scand 1990;156:5–21Google ScholarPubMed
27Hannon, RR, Shore, E, McClellan, S, DuBois, EF. A case of osteitis fibrosa cystica (osteomalacia?) with evidence of hyperactivity of the parathyroid bodies. Metabolic study I. J Clin Invest 1930;8:215–27CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Richardson, EP, Aub, JC, Bauer, W. Parathyroidism in osteomalacia. Ann Surg 1929;90:730–41CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Mandl, F. Hyperparathyroidism. A review of historical developments and the present state of knowledge on the subject. Surgery 1947;21:394–440Google ScholarPubMed
30Carney, JA. The glandulae parathyroideae of Ivar Sandström: contributions from two continents. Am J Surg Pathol 1996;20:1123–44CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Bauer, W, Albright, F, Aub, JC. A case of osteitis fibrosa cystica (osteomalacia?) with evidence of hyperactivity of the parathyroid bodies. Metabolic study II. J Clin Invest 1930;8:229–48CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32Spence, HM. The life and death of Captain Charles Martell and kidney stone disease. J Urol 1984;132:1204–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33Bauer, W, Federman, DD. Hyperparathyroidism epitomized: the case of Captain Charles E. Martell. Metabolism 1962;11:21–9Google ScholarPubMed
34Organ, CH Jr.The history of parathyroid surgery, 1850–1996: the Excelsior Surgical Society 1998 Edward D Churchill Lecture. J Am Coll Surg 2000;191:284–99CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35Barr, DP, Bulger, HA. The clinical syndrome of hyperparathyroidism. Am J Med Sci 1930;179:449–76Google Scholar
36Barr, DP, Bulger, HA, Dixon, HH. Hyperparathyroidism. JAMA 1929;92:951–2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37Ahmad, R, Hammond, JM. Primary, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2004;37:701–13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Berson, SA, Yalow, RS, Aurbach, GD, Potts, JT Jr.Immunoassay of bovine and human parathyroid hormone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1963;49:613–17CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39Norman, J, Chheda, H. Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy facilitated by intraoperative nuclear mapping. Surgery 1997;122:998–1003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
40Lorenz, K, Miccoli, P, Monchik, JM, Düren, M, Dralle, H. Minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy: multiinstitutional study. World J Surg 2001;25:704–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41Gagner, M. Endoscopic subtotal parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Br J Surg 1996;83:875CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42Feingold, DL, Alexander, HR, Chen, CC, Libutti, SK, Shawker, TH, Simonds, WF et al. Ultrasound and sestamibi scan as the only preoperative imaging tests in reoperation for parathyroid adenomas. Surg 2000;128:1103–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
43Irvin, GL 3rd, Derison, GT 3rd. A new, practical intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay. Am J Surg 1994;168:466–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
44Takei, H, Iino, Y, Endo, K, Horiguchi, J, Maemura, M, Koibuchi, Y et al. The efficacy of technetium-99 m-MIBI scan and intraoperative methylene blue staining for the localization of abnormal parathyroid glands. Surg Today 1999;29:307–12CrossRefGoogle Scholar
45Martinez, DA, King, DR, Romshe, C, Lozano, RA, Morris, JD, O'Dorisio, MS et al. Intraoperative identification of parathyroid gland pathology: a new approach. J Pediatr Surg 1995;30:1306–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
46Chandrasekharappa, SC, Guru, SC, Manickam, P, Olufemi, SE, Collins, FS, Emmert-Buck, MR et al. Positional cloning of the gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Science 1997;276:404–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed