SynthesisLangenbeck's archives of surgery2019
The prevalence and anatomy of parathyroid glands: a meta-analysis with implications for parathyroid surgery.
Synthesis in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 118 citations in OpenAlex.
- Subtotal parathyroidectomy versus total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation for secondary hyperparathyroidism: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2019Pooled it
- Parathyroid autotransplantation into the brachioradialis protects parathyroid function during total thyroidectomy.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Trial
- The Effect of Prophylactic Protection of Inferior Parathyroid Gland Vein Blood Supply on Reducing Postoperative Hypoparathyroidism.Cancer medicine · 2026Article
- Incidence of Ectopic Parathyroid Glands in Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism.The Journal of surgical research · 2026Article
- Indications and Complications of Total Thyroidectomy in the Management of Thyroid Diseases: A Five-Year Retrospective Study in a Greek Population.Acta medica academica · 2026Article
- Impact of intraoperative parathyroid identification and accidental removal on post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia: a single-center 15-year experience.BMC surgery · 2026Article
- Surgery for secondary hyperparathyroidism: mastering the anatomy - a single-center retrospective cohort study.BMC nephrology · 2026Article
- Mediastinal parathyroid adenoma: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
- Case Series: Postoperative recurrent secondary hyperparathyroidism caused by ectopic submandibular parathyroid: 3 cases report and literature review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- A novel optimized surgical strategy for secondary hyperparathyroidism: clean parathyroidectomy combined with autotransplantation and its clinical analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Indocyanine green fluorescence in parathyroidectomy: enhancing efficiency through real-time adenoma identification.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Essentials for parathyroid imaging and intervention: what radiologists need to know.Ultrasonography (Seoul, Korea) · 2025Article
- Microwave ablation of ectopic mediastinal parathyroid: A case report.Radiology case reports · 2025Article
- Parathyroid Hormone as a Modulator of Skeletal Muscle: Insights into Bone-Muscle and Nerve-Muscle Interactions.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Intrathyroidal Fifth Parathyroid Adenoma: A Rare Cause of Primary Hyperparathyroidism.JCEM case reports · 2025Article
- Progress in the Management of Mediastinal Ectopic Parathyroid Adenomas: The Role of Minimally Invasive Surgery.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Surgeon Review of 4D CT for Identification of Parathyroid Adenomas.Head & neck · 2025Article
- The polar vessel sign: insights from CT imaging analysis in Asian Indian primary hyperparathyroidism.Endocrine · 2025Article
- Lesion size and cystic morphology are key determinants of parathyroid hormone washout in primary hyperparathyroidism.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Robotic transthoracic approach to ectopic mediastinal parathyroid adenoma: A case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2025Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe anatomy of parathyroid glands (PTG) is highly variable in the population. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic analysis on the prevalence and location of PTG in healthy and hyperparathyroidism (HPT) patients.
methodsAn extensive search of the major electronic databases was conducted to identify all studies that reported relevant data on the number of PTG per patient and location of PTG. The data was extracted from the eligible studies and pooled into a meta-analysis.
resultsThe overall analysis of 26 studies (n = 7005 patients; n = 23,519 PTG) on the number of PTG showed that 81.4% (95% CI 65.4-85.8) of patients have four PTG. A total of 15.9% of PTG are present in ectopic locations, with 11.6% (95% CI 5.1-19.1) in the neck and 4.3% (95% CI 0.7-9.9) in mediastinum. The subgroup analysis of ectopic PTG showed that 51.7% of ectopic PTG in the neck are localized in retroesophageal/paraesophageal space or in the thyroid gland. No significant differences were observed between the healthy and HPT patients and cadaveric and intraoperative studies.
conclusionsKnowledge regarding the prevalence, location, and anatomy of PTG is essential for surgeons planning for and carrying out parathyroidectomies, as any unidentified PTG, either supernumerary or in ectopic location, can result in unsuccessful treatment and need for reoperation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.