Parathyroid Surgeon in Birmingham, AL (Dr. Harris) for Parathyroid Surgery

Dr. Adam Harris is a parathyroid surgeon that can help you with hyperparathyroidism. With five years of surgical training at the Mayo Clinic, he has the experience, skill, and expertise to perform this surgery.

Hyperparathyroidism: The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone (PTH), which controls the levels of calcium in the body.  There are four parathyroid glands around the thyroid and there is usually one of them that is overactive and called an adenoma.  When too much parathyroid hormone is produced, this causes calcium levels in the blood to be to high which can cause a variety of problems.

These problems include especially bone loss leading to osteoporosis, kidney stones, abdominal pain, it may even lead to depression and trouble concentrating.  Under these circumstances, the overactive parathyroid gland needs to be removed and can typically be done with a small incision in the neck and a one night stay in the hospital.  A localization study called a sestamibi scan is usually done before surgery to help the parathyroid surgeon determine which of the four glands is overactive.

How urgent is parathyroid surgery?

With very few exceptions, parathyroid surgery is not urgent.  However, if your hyperparathyroidism is not corrected it can lead to bone loss (osteoporosis), kidney stones, weakness, fatigue, mood issues as well as cardiovascular problems. Contact a parathyroid surgeon for consultation on how urgent it is for you.

How long do you stay in the hospital after parathyroid surgery?

You usually stay in the hospital one night after parathyroid surgery to make sure there are no bleeding issues and that your calcium does not drop too low.  However, sometime going home the same day as surgery is also acceptable. Your parathyroid surgeon will need to assess how soon you'll need to stay in the hospital.

What is the recovery time for parathyroid surgery?

Everyone is different especially in their response to general anesthesia but usually patients are back pretty close to normal in one week.  There may be some hoarseness and neck soreness but these are usually minimal and resolve in a week or two.  There is a small risk of injury to the nerves that control the vocal cords.