Parathyroid Insufficiency and the Human Electroencephalogram

Abstract

SERIAL electroencephalograms were made on 17 patients who presented various evidences of parathyroid insufficiency. The group included cases of: a) spontaneous parathyroid insufficiency; b) post-surgical parathyroid insufficiency; c) post-surgical or spontaneous parathyroid insufficiency treated by grafting of parathyroid glands; d) parathyroid insufficiency combined with manifestations of epilepsy. A three-channel Grass ink-writer electroencephalograph was used. Tracings were taken with push-pull recording using Gibb's technique (1) following a period of over-breathing. Hyperventilation was uniform in all cases, namely, 30 deep breaths in 45 seconds. We had previously determined that such a procedure does not significantly change the electroencephalogram in normal subjects. Medical treatment of the parathyroid insufficiency consisted in calcium lactate by mouth, calcium gluconate intravenously, vitamin D2 and parathormone. Surgical treatment consisted in the grafting of human parathyroid gland (Manfredi and del Castillo 2). A. Spontaneous Parathyroid Insufficiency. We shall describe one of the two cases studied. Lon H. had suffered for four years with spontaneous tetany.