Successful treatment of calciphylaxis with cinacalcet—an alternative to parathyroidectomy?

Abstract

Calciphylaxis is a rare but serious complication of end-stage renal failure, which has a high mortality due to widespread vascular calcification and refractory infections [1,2]. Parathyroidectomy has been advocated as one of the few treatments that may reverse this condition [3], although this has not been universally accepted and is not always successful [4]. The newly developed calcimimetic, cinacalcet (marketed as Mimpara in the EU, and as Sensipar in the USA by Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) produces rapid biochemical control of secondary hyperparathyroidism [5,6], and thus may represent an alternative treatment for patients with calciphylaxis.