UC San Diego

Undescended parathyroid adenomas are rare, representing 0.08% of all parathyroid adenomas; however, they make up 7% of the underlying cause of failed cervical exploration in patients with persistent primary hyperparathyroidism. A 43-year-old woman with no significant medical or family history presented with fatigue and was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism; however, preoperative imaging including sestamibi scan and ultrasound was unable to identify the hyperfunctioning gland. She underwent a neck exploration and hemithyroidectomy and partial parathyroidectomy with failure of resolution of her disease. Subsequent work up including a CT of the neck demonstrated a 1.9 cm mass adjacent to the left submandibular gland. This was removed with postoperative normalisation of the patient's serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels.