Parathyroidectomy Procedure

Description, Latest Information and Doctors

Parathyroidectomy is surgery to remove the parathyroid glands or parathyroid tumors. The parathyroid glands are right behind your thyroid gland in your neck. These glands help your body regulate the calcium level in your blood.

Removal of parathyroid gland; Parathyroidectomy; Hyperparathyroidism - parathyroidectomy; PTH - parathyroidectomy

You will receive general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) for this surgery.

Usually the parathyroid glands are removed using a 2 to 4 inch (in) or 5 to 10 centimeters (cm) surgical cut on your neck. During surgery:

• The cut is usually made in the center of your neck just under your Adam's apple.
• Your surgeon will look for the four parathyroid glands and remove any that appear abnormal.
• You may have a special blood test during surgery that will tell if all the diseased glands were removed.
• In rare cases, when all four of these glands need to be removed, part of one may be transplanted into the forearm. Or it is transplanted into a muscle in the front of your neck next to the thyroid gland. This helps ensure your body's calcium level stays at a healthy level.

The specific type of surgery depends on where the diseased parathyroid glands are. Types of surgery include:

• Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. You may receive a shot of a very small amount of radioactive tracer before this surgery. This helps highlight the diseased glands. If you have this shot, your surgeon will use a special probe, like a Geiger counter, to locate the parathyroid gland. Your surgeon will make a small cut (1 to 2 in; or 2.5 to 5 cm) on one side of your neck and then remove the diseased gland through it. This procedure takes about 1 hour.
• Video-assisted parathyroidectomy. Your surgeon will make two small cuts in your neck. One is for instruments, and the other is for a scope with a camera. Your surgeon will use the camera to view the area and will remove the diseased glands with the instruments.
• Endoscopic parathyroidectomy. Your surgeon will make two or three small cuts in the front of your neck and one cut above the top of your collarbone. This reduces visible scarring, pain, and recovery time. This cut is less than 2 in (5 cm) long. The procedure to remove any diseased parathyroid glands is similar to video-assisted parathyroidectomy.

Your health care provider may recommend this surgery if one or more of your parathyroid glands is producing too much parathyroid hormone. This condition is called hyperparathyroidism. It is often caused by a small non-cancerous (benign) tumor called an adenoma.

Your surgeon will consider many factors when deciding whether to do surgery and what type of surgery would be best for you. Some of these factors are:

• Your age
• Calcium levels in your urine and blood
• Whether you have symptoms or negative effects of the hyperparathyroidism

Risks of anesthesia and surgery in general are:

• Reactions to medicines or breathing problems
• Bleeding, blood clots, or infection

Risks of parathyroidectomy are:

• Injury to the thyroid gland or the need to remove part of the thyroid gland.
• Hypoparathyroidism (deficiency of parathyroid hormone). This can lead to low calcium levels that are dangerous to your health.
• Injury to the nerves going to the muscles that move your vocal cords. You may have a hoarse or weaker voice which could be temporary or permanent.
• Difficulty breathing. This is not common and usually goes away several weeks or months after surgery.

Parathyroid glands are very small. You may need to have tests that show exactly where your glands are. This will help your surgeon find your parathyroid glands during surgery. Two of the tests you may have are a CT scan and an ultrasound. Sometimes your surgeon will order a nuclear medicine scan, known as a Sestamibi scan prior to your surgery to locate all the parathyroid glands.

Planning for your surgery:

• If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon may ask you to see the provider who treats you for these conditions.
• If you smoke, it's important to cut back or quit. Smoking can slow healing and increase the risk for blood clots. Ask your provider for help quitting smoking.
• If needed, prepare your home to make it easier to recover after surgery.
• Ask your surgeon if you need to arrange to have someone drive you home after your surgery.

Tell your surgeon or nurse if:

• You are or could be pregnant
• You are taking any medicines, including medicines, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription
• You have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a day

During the week before your surgery:

• You may be asked to temporarily stop taking medicines that keep your blood from clotting. These medicines are called blood thinners. This includes over-the-counter medicines and supplements such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and vitamin E. Many prescription medicines are also blood thinners.
• Ask your surgeon which medicines you should still take on the day of surgery.
• Let your surgeon know about any illness you may have before your surgery. This includes COVID-19, a cold, flu, fever, herpes outbreak, or other illness. If you do get sick, your surgery may need to be postponed.

On the day of surgery:

• Follow instructions about when to stop eating and drinking.
• Take the medicines your surgeon told you to take with a small sip of water.
• Arrive at the hospital on time.

Often, people can go home the same day they have surgery. You can start your everyday activities in a few days. It will take about 1 to 3 weeks for you to fully heal.

The surgery area must be kept clean and dry. You may need to drink liquids and eat soft foods for a day.

Contact your surgeon if you have any numbness or tingling around your mouth in the 24 to 48 hours after surgery. This may be caused by a low blood calcium level. Follow instructions about how to take your calcium supplements.

After this procedure, you should have periodic blood tests to check your calcium level.

People usually recover soon after this surgery. Recovery may be faster when less invasive techniques are used.

Sometimes, another surgery is needed to remove more of the parathyroid glands.

Published Date: July 06, 2026
Published By: Ann M. Rogers, MD, FACS, Professor Emeritus, Department of Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Cayo AK, Perrier ND. Primary hyperparathyroidism. In: Cameron JL, Cameron AM, eds. Current Surgical Therapy. 15th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 145.

Hu Y, Olson JA. Parathyroid. In: Tyler DS, Hayes-Dixon A, Hines OJ, et al, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 74.

Thakker RV. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 227.