Survival and allotransplantation of cultured human parathyroids

After development of in vitro techniques for maintenance and monitoring of human parathyroid tissue and completion of physiologic and immunologic experiments, consideration was given to allotransplantation of long-term-cultured parathyroid adenoma cells into 3 patients with symptomatic postsurgical hypoparathyroidism. Forearm allografts, without immunosuppression, were associated with no adverse effects, and 2 of 3 patients have been removed successfully from exogenous calcium and vitamin D therapy. Consistent differences in bilateral antecubital venous PTH levels were not found until recently in 1 patient (case 3). However, the amount of viable parathyroid tissue implanted was small, and at present these patients have been followed for relatively short periods.