CT as first line imaging during Covid pandeminc

Aim The Covid-19 pandemic encouraged prompt modification to clinical practice to minimise hospital attendances in an aim to minimize exposure and protection of the NHS whilst maintaining the standards of patient care. Current literature advocates that Four-Dimensional Computerised Tomography (4DCT) has equal diagnostic value as ultrasound alone or a combination of ultrasound and Sestamibi scan in the identification of abnormal parathyroid glands in the work up for surgical management of hyperparathyroidism. In response to the evolving pandemic at Addenbrookes we modified our practice and escalated 4DCT as our first line imaging. In light of this we had a unique opportunity to evaluate the diagnostic value of the currently used imaging modalities. Methods This is a retrospective study of 270 parathyroidectomies who underwent pre-operative 4DCT (n=270), ultrasound (n= 254) and sestamibi scan (n=253). Subsequently, we assessed the accuracy of these three modalities with the of intra-operative findings, histology, post-operative calcium and PTH. Results The sensitivity of the 4DCT was 77% in comparison to 43% sensitivity of the ultrasound alone. (p>0.05). The combined sensitivity of ultrasound and Sestamibi scan was found to be 69%. Conclusion The implementation of 4DCT as a single modality diagnostic imaging can be considered equally effective and accurate in the diagnosis of parathyroid abnormality. Implementing this would reduce the number of diagnostic tests improving the likelihood of successful operative planning and reduce financial cost.

A single-centre retrospective analysis of cinacalcet therapy in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is a common endocrine disorder that can be cured by parathyroidectomy; patients unsuitable for surgery can be treated with cinacalcet. Availability of surgery may be reduced during COVID-19, and cinacalcet can be used as bridging therapy. In this single-centre retrospective analysis, we investigated the utility and safety of cinacalcet in patients with pHPT receiving cinacalcet between March 2019 and July 2020, including pre-parathyroidectomy bridging. We reviewed and summarised the published literature. Cinacalcet dosages were adjusted by endocrinologists to achieve target calcium < 2.70 mmol/L. Eighty-six patients were identified, with the most achieving target calcium (79.1%) with a mean dose of 39.4 mg/day (±17.1 mg/day) for a median duration of 35 weeks (1-178 weeks). Calcium was normalised in a median time of 5 weeks. The majority of patients commenced cinacalcet of 30 mg/day (78 patients) with the remainder at 60 mg/day (8 patients). Forty-seven patients commencing lower dose cinacalcet (30 mg/day) achieved target calcium without requiring 60 mg/day. Baseline PTH was significantly higher in patients requiring higher doses of cinacalcet. 18.6% of patients reported adverse reactions and 4.7% discontinued cinacalcet. Patients treated with cinacalcet pre-parathyroidectomy required a higher dose and fewer achieved target calcium compared to medical treatment with cinacalcet alone. Post-operative calcium was similar to patients who were not given pre-parathyroidectomy cinacalcet. In summary, cinacalcet at an initial dose of 30 mg/day is safe and useful for achieving target calcium in patients with symptomatic or severe hypercalcaemia in pHPT, including those treated for pre-parathyroidectomy. We propose a PTH threshold of >30 pmol/L to initiate at a higher dose of 60 mg/day.