Parathyroidectomy in Sharjah
Medically reviewed by Dar Al Kamal Team
What is parathyroidectomy?
Parathyroidectomy is the surgical removal of one or more parathyroid glands, the small glands in the neck that set the level of calcium in your blood. Most people have four of them, each about the size of a grain of rice, lying behind the thyroid gland. They are separate from the thyroid and do a different job: they release parathyroid hormone, which draws calcium out of the bones and holds it back in the kidneys whenever the blood level dips.
In primary hyperparathyroidism, one gland usually grows into a small benign lump called an adenoma and keeps releasing hormone even when calcium is already high. Removing that single gland lets the other three take over again, and they are generally ready to do so straight away. Less often, more than one gland is enlarged, and the surgeon removes the overactive tissue while keeping enough to control calcium.
At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, parathyroidectomy is performed in-house by the general surgical team, who also carry out thyroid surgery and work in the same part of the neck.
Who needs it
Primary hyperparathyroidism is often found by chance, when a routine blood test shows raised calcium. The blood test is then repeated alongside parathyroid hormone and vitamin D, because a high calcium with a hormone level that stays high points to an overactive gland. A urine calcium test helps separate it from an inherited condition that looks similar on blood tests and is managed differently.
Surgery is usually recommended when high calcium is already affecting the body or is likely to. The signs doctors look for include:
- Kidney stones, or calcium deposits seen in the kidneys on a scan
- Thinning bones on a bone density scan, or a fracture from a minor fall
- A calcium level well above the normal range
- Thirst, passing more urine, tiredness, low mood, poor concentration or aching bones
- Age under fifty, when many years of raised calcium lie ahead
When calcium is only slightly raised and there are no effects, careful monitoring with blood tests and bone scans is an alternative, and some people choose it. The surgeon and your endocrinology doctor, where involved, weigh these findings with you so the decision is yours.
What happens
Before the operation, localisation scans find the overactive gland. A neck ultrasound is the usual first scan, and a sestamibi scan, a nuclear medicine test in which the overactive gland takes up a small tracer, is often added. When both scans point to the same gland, the surgeon can plan a focused, minimally invasive approach.
Parathyroidectomy is performed under general anaesthesia. In the minimally invasive approach, the surgeon makes a short incision low in the neck, often in a natural skin crease, goes directly to the gland shown on the scans, and removes it while protecting the nerve to the voice box that runs nearby. When the scans are unclear or more than one gland is suspected, the surgeon uses a slightly longer incision to look at all four glands and remove whichever are enlarged. The wound is closed with dissolving stitches or skin glue.
Blood calcium is checked after the operation. Many people go home the same day or the next morning once calcium is stable, they are eating and drinking, and pain is controlled with tablets.
Preparing for it
A pre-operative assessment, blood tests and an anaesthetic review confirm you are ready. Bring your scan reports and blood results, including any earlier calcium readings, and a full list of your medicines. Calcium tablets, vitamin D, water tablets, lithium and blood thinners each need a specific plan, and you receive clear fasting instructions for the day of surgery.
Drinking plenty of water in the weeks before the operation helps, because high calcium makes the body lose fluid, and dehydration comes on quickly in the Sharjah heat. If you plan surgery around Ramadan, raise it early so fasting, fluids and calcium checks can be timed together.
Afterwards
A sore throat and mild discomfort in the neck are common for the first days, and a slightly hoarse voice usually settles. Calcium often falls a little after the gland is removed, because bones that were starved of calcium begin to take it back. Your surgeon may prescribe calcium or vitamin D for a short period, with a blood test to guide it.
Keep the wound clean and dry and follow the dressing advice you are given. Most desk-based work resumes sooner than driving or manual work, and your surgeon gives you a personal timeline. Follow-up blood tests confirm that calcium has returned to normal, and repeat bone scans show how your bones are rebuilding over time.
Contact the hospital urgently if you feel tingling around the mouth or in the fingers and toes, or muscle cramps or twitching, as these are signs of low calcium. **Go to the emergency department straight away if your neck swells quickly or feels tight, or if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing.**
Cost and insurance
Most UAE insurance plans cover parathyroidectomy when blood tests confirm primary hyperparathyroidism, and it usually requires pre-approval supported by calcium and hormone results and the localisation scan reports. The sestamibi scan may need its own approval. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover and start the approval early on 06 599 7777.
Related services
Frequently asked questions
What are the risks of parathyroidectomy?
Parathyroidectomy carries the risks of any neck operation, including bleeding, infection and a reaction to the anaesthetic. Specific risks are a hoarse or weak voice if the nerve to the voice box is affected, usually temporary, and low calcium after surgery. In a small number of people the overactive gland is in an unusual position or is missed, so calcium stays high and further tests or surgery are needed.
Is a parathyroid gland the same as the thyroid?
A parathyroid gland is a separate gland from the thyroid, even though it sits right behind it in the neck. The thyroid controls how the body uses energy, while the four parathyroid glands control blood calcium, so parathyroidectomy leaves the thyroid in place.
Will I need to take tablets for life after parathyroidectomy?
Most people need no long-term tablets after parathyroidectomy, because the remaining parathyroid glands take over calcium control. A short course of calcium or vitamin D is sometimes given while the bones take up calcium again, and your surgeon tells you when to stop.
What if the scans do not find the overactive gland?
When localisation scans do not show the overactive gland clearly, the surgeon can still find it by examining all four glands during the operation. Further imaging is sometimes arranged first. Scans guide the approach and the size of the incision; the diagnosis itself rests on the blood tests.
Will my kidney stones and bones improve after parathyroidectomy?
After a successful parathyroidectomy, calcium levels settle and the risk of forming new kidney stones falls, while bone density often improves over the following months to years. Existing stones may still need their own treatment, and bone scans track how much your bones recover.
Can high calcium come back after parathyroidectomy?
High calcium can come back after parathyroidectomy, usually because another gland becomes overactive later, which is more likely in people with several enlarged glands or an inherited form. Periodic blood tests after surgery pick this up early.
Is parathyroidectomy done as keyhole surgery?
Parathyroidectomy is often done as minimally invasive surgery through a short incision in the neck when the scans agree on one gland. The surgeon works directly on that gland and leaves the others untouched, which usually means a smaller scar and a shorter stay.
Book an appointment
Tell us your preferred day and time. Our team calls you back to confirm.