A giant intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma posing diagnostic dilemma

Abstract

The success of surgery depends on accurate localization of abnormal parathyroids. The accuracies of numerous methods of imaging such as ultrasonography, radionuclide imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography have been reported extensively. Ultrasonography and sestamibi scanning are currently the most widely used methods. We report a case of a giant parathyroid adenoma, representing to our knowledge the largest parathyroid mass documented in the literature. Despite its clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of primary hyperparathyroidism, preoperative imaging studies of this giant adenoma were not presumptive of a definitive diagnosis.