PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCES WITH TRANSPLANTS OF CULTURED PARATHYROID TISSUE IN HYPOPARATHYROIDISM

Abstract

Living parathyroid tissue was implanted on 14 occasions in 11 patients with surgical hypoparathyrodism. Implants were prepared using fetal parathyroids and later parathyroid adenomas. Fragments 1 mm or less in diameter were grown in tissue culture and gradually adapted to the recipient''s serum before the implant. At each implant 13-80 fragments were placed in the sheath of the axillary vein. In 2 of the 11 patients the implants were successful. In one patient who had previously been extremely resistant to antitetanic therapy, a transplant of fetal tissue remained functional for 9 to 10 months; a second transplant of adenomatous tissue in the same patient gave "partial relief" of subjective symptoms for 13 months. In a second patient relief has persisted for 19 months to date following transplant of adenomatous tissue. In 6 other patients implants gave transient relief for periods of 1 to 6 weeks. In the remaining 4 patients there was no improvement.