Giant mediastinal parathyroid adenoma.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is most commonly caused by either a parathyroid adenoma or parathyroid hyperplasia. Parathyroid adenomas also rarely attain huge proportions. We present a case of a 63-year-old female patient causing hypercalcemia and the mass which is located in the mediastinum. High intact parathormone level secondary to an ectopic hypersecretory parathyroid adenoma were detected (642 pg/mL). It was removed via a right thoracic approach. In this case parathyroid adenoma measuring 7 x 5 x 4 cm and weighing 145 g; to our knowledge the greatest mass reported in the literature. Despite its huge size it did not cause many of the hypercalcemic symptoms.