A parathyroid biopsy most often is performed as part of a surgical procedure to examine and/or remove the parathyroid glands, usually because of hypercalcemia (increased blood calcium) caused by hyperparathyroidism (increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) production).Hyperparathyroidism can be a primary condition (parathyroid hyperplasia) or secondary to tumor (adenoma or adenocarcinoma) of the parathyroid gland.

Under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation (breathing tube placed in the airway), an incision is made in the lower neck approximately 2 cm. above the "collar bones" (clavicles). The thyroid gland is identified and may be rotated to enable the parathyroid glands to be located (the number and exact location of the parathyroid glands can vary from individual to individual usually between three and seven, and most commonly four ). All (or a portion) of removed parathyroid gland is sent to the laboratory for examination.

Fasting for 6 to 8 hours is recommended before any surgery using general anesthesia.

Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:

• Infant test or procedure preparation (birth to 1 year)
• Toddler test or procedure preparation (1 to 3 years)
• Preschooler test or procedure preparation (3 to 6 years)
• School-age test or procedure preparation (6 to 12 years)
• Adolescent test or procedure preparation (12 to 18 years)

After the surgery, there may be some soreness of the neck incision. There can also be a slight sore throat from the breathing tube used during surgery.

This test is most often performed to confirm the cause of hyperparathyroidism (which has been diagnosed based on blood tests and other tests).

This test is only performed when there is an abnormality of parathyroid function.

• Parathyroid adenoma or carcinoma (rare)
• Parathyroid hyperplasia

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) II
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) I

Risks are those of general surgery (reaction to anesthesia, excessive loss of blood, infection). Additional risks specific to this surgery include inability to locate the parathyroid glands (rare), injury to the laryngeal nerve (the nerve to the vocal cords) (extremely rare), hematoma (blood collection under the skin) causing breathing difficulty, and hypocalcemia (low blood calcium) as a response to lack of parathyroid stimulation.

The parathyroid glands are located near the thyroid gland. Most people have 4, some people have more and some people have fewer. They secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH), which functions primarily in the control of calcium levels.