Thermal Ablation Versus Parathyroidectomy for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism

The symptom remission rate refers to the proportion of the number of patients whose symptoms have been alleviated to the total number of patients treated in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism, either by surgery or ablation.

The incidence rate of complications refers to the proportion of patients who experience complications after a surgical procedure within a certain period.

The probability of normal serum calcium and serum phosphorus levels after ablation or surgical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism is defined as the proportion of patients in whom the levels of blood calcium and blood phosphorus return to the normal physiological range among all the patients who have received either ablation or surgical procedures for this condition.

Bone mineral density change after treatment is defined as the alteration in bone density measured by DEXA in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism after surgery or ablation.

Changes in Bone Metabolism Markers will be evaluated by measuring specific biochemical parameters. These include serum levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), which is a biomarker reflecting osteoblast activity. Another important marker is N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP), which is involved in collagen synthesis and provides insights into bone formation. ALP is a well-known enzyme related to bone metabolism and its elevation can be indicative of increased osteoblastic activity. The levels of these markers will be determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, which are highly sensitive and specific laboratory assays.

The Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating Scale (SCAR) will be utilized to evaluate the cosmetic outcome following surgical or ablation treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. The observer part of the SCAR assesses six aspects: scar spread, erythema, pigmentation abnormality, surgical marks or suture tracks, hypertrophy/atrophy, and overall impression. The patient part includes two simple questions about patient satisfaction with the scar and the degree of itching. The scale has a minimum value of 0, representing the least severe scar with the best cosmetic appearance, and a maximum value of 15, signifying the most severe scar with the poorest cosmetic result. Higher scores on this scale indicate a worse cosmetic outcome.

The learning curve for surgical or ablation procedures will be evaluated by tracking and analyzing key performance indicators, with patient cure outcomes also taken into account. These indicators encompass the time taken from the start of the procedure until its completion (operation time). Additionally, the rate of occurrence of immediate and short-term post-operative complications (like bleeding, nerve injury) is considered. Patient cure status, such as complete remission of related symptoms, normalization of relevant physiological indicators, and long-term disease-free survival, will be meticulously assessed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness and learning the effectiveness and learning curve of these procedures.