When First Time Isn’t the Charm: Experts Warn of Growing Risks from Inexperienced Parathyroid Surgery

Located in Tampa, Florida, the Norman Parathyroid Center is the leading parathyroid gland tumor treatment center in the world, performing nearly 3,800 parathyroid operations annually. Well known for cure rates over 99% via an operation that typically last

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, August 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At the Norman Parathyroid Center, one alarming trend has become clear: more patients than ever are arriving in need of re-operative parathyroid surgery—meaning their first operation elsewhere failed to cure their disease. In fact, up to 30% of patients at the nation’s leading parathyroid surgery center are now coming in for a second or even third operation. And for many of them, the stakes are much higher.

“We’re seeing far too many patients who

should have been cured the first time,” said Dr. Jamie Mitchell, Medical Director at the Norman Parathyroid Center and one of the world’s leading experts in re-operative parathyroid surgery. “Not only are these re-operations more difficult and risky, but they also come with a psychological and physical toll that could have been avoided.”

Why This Matters
Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder caused by one or more overactive parathyroid glands, which leads to elevated calcium levels in the blood. The disease is cured with a simple surgery—if it’s done right. But when performed by an inexperienced surgeon, the operation can fail to locate and remove all the diseased glands, or worse, damage or remove healthy glands.

Unlike other surgeries, there is no room for error in parathyroid surgery. The parathyroid glands are as small as grains of rice and nestled deep in the neck near critical structures like the vocal cord nerves and thyroid gland. It requires extreme expertise and precision to find and remove only the bad glands while preserving the good ones.

“When people have surgery done by someone who operates on parathyroid disease only occasionally, it becomes a guessing game,” Dr. Mitchell said. “It’s not unusual for patients to come to us after being told they were cured, only to learn the diseased gland was missed—or that all four glands were mistakenly removed.”

Re-Operative Surgery: Higher Risk, More Complexity
Re-operative parathyroid surgery is significantly more challenging than a first-time operation. Scar tissue from the initial surgery obscures the anatomy, making the remaining glands harder to find. The risk of damaging surrounding nerves and tissues increases. And each failed surgery decreases the odds of a permanent cure.

“These are some of the most technically difficult surgeries we perform,” said Dr. Mitchell, who has built a global reputation for successfully operating on complex re-operative cases. “And yet nearly all of them could have been avoided if the right surgeon had been chosen the first time.”

What’s worse, some patients who undergo failed surgery end up with hypoparathyroidism—a devastating condition caused by accidental removal or destruction of all four parathyroid glands. Without these glands, the body cannot regulate calcium, requiring lifelong calcium and vitamin D supplementation with frequent blood monitoring and risk of severe symptoms. “Hypoparathyroidism is something we can’t fix,” said Dr. Mitchell. “And it’s heartbreaking, because it is almost always preventable.”

The Norman Parathyroid Center: Trusted by Patients Worldwide
Located at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, Florida, the Norman Parathyroid Center performs more parathyroid surgeries than any other center in the world. With a team of expert surgeons who do nothing but parathyroid surgery, the center has developed proprietary techniques and diagnostic protocols that lead to cure rates above 99%—even in the most complex re-operative cases.

The center’s team performs over 3,800 parathyroid surgeries per year, more than all other hospitals in the United States combined. Their expertise and volume mean patients have the best possible chance at being cured the first time—without complications or repeat procedures. Still, the team continues to see an increasing number of patients who had surgery elsewhere that didn’t work.

“Sometimes patients are told their calcium levels are still high, but that it’s ‘normal,’ or that they just need to watch and wait,” Dr. Mitchell said. “They’re told they only had one abnormal gland, when in fact, there were two or three. Or they’re told their surgery was a success even though none of the glands were actually removed. We see it all.”

To help raise awareness, Dr. Mitchell has dedicated his YouTube channel to educating both patients and physicians about the dangers of inadequate surgery and the warning signs that someone may still have parathyroid disease after surgery.

“Patients need to know that parathyroid surgery isn’t something just any ENT or general surgeon should be doing,” he said. “It’s a niche operation that requires a specialist. If your surgeon isn’t doing hundreds of these every year, you’re taking a risk.”

Wrapping Up Parathyroid Awareness Month
This message comes on the heels of Parathyroid Awareness Month and the launch of the first-ever Hyperparathyroidism Awareness Day on July 22. In partnership with Any Lab Test Now, the Norman Parathyroid Center also introduced a new Parathyroid Health Panel, now available at 240+ lab locations nationwide. This simple blood test checks calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels—the only two labs needed to diagnose primary hyperparathyroidism. “We’re grateful to Any Lab Test Now for helping us make diagnostic testing more accessible,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Early diagnosis and treatment are critical, and this collaboration is another step toward ensuring patients don’t fall through the cracks.”

What Patients Should Know
The Norman Parathyroid Center recommends that patients seek out surgeons who:
Perform at least 250 parathyroid surgeries per year
Specialize exclusively in parathyroid disease
Provide intraoperative hormone monitoring
Routinely achieve cure rates above 95%
Have expertise in re-operative surgery if needed
Even if it means traveling, selecting the right surgeon the first time is worth it.

“We have patients who fly in from all over the world because they want it done right,” Dr. Mitchell said. “They know this is their one chance to fix it—and they don’t want to take chances.”

Don’t Wait for a Second Chance
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism, don’t settle for a general surgeon who may only perform a handful of these procedures per year. Choose a high-volume expert from the start to ensure the best outcome, shortest recovery, and most importantly—a cure. Patients can visit www.parathyroid.com to learn more.