Therapeutic effectiveness and safety parathyroid adenoma ablation with percutaneous ethanol injection under sonographic guidance in patients with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism refractory to medical treatment

Secondary hyperparathyroidism unresponsive to medical treatment is a common complication in patients with chronic renal failure and prolonged dialysis therapy, which requires surgery of the parathyroid glands, with the risks and costs of surgery. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of ablation of parathyroid adenomas by percutaneous ethanol injection under ultrasound guidance. Method: After approval by the institutional medical ethics committee, informed written consent was obtained in 15 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Sonographically guided ethanol was injected consecutively into adenomas, with an interval of time less than six months. Results: Size, Doppler vascularity of adenomas, and the levels of parathyroid hormone, calcium and phosphorus were measured before and after ablation as criteria for treatment response in 15 patients. Of all patients, six (40%) had no therapeutic response. Therapeutic response was observed in nine patients (60%). In the latter group, five patients (33.3%) had successful response and symptomatic improvement, in two patients (13.3%), therapeutic response was suboptimal, and in two patients (13.3%), the response was unsatisfactory. The procedure was safe. Local pain, transient dysphonia and cough were considered minor complications and were the most common, with resolution in all cases. There were no major complications. Conclusion: Ablation of parathyroid adenomas with percutaneous ethanol injection and ultrasound guidance, in uremic patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism unresponsive to medical treatment is an effective and safe therapy. Studies involving more patients and longer follow up are needed in order to stablish more conclusive results