Abstract
Hungry bone syndrome (HBS) is a syndrome of persistent hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia resulting from extensive bone remineralization after successful parathyroidectomy. Large amounts of calcium are needed to correct it. We describe a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism who developed HBS after parathyroidectomy. She received copious amounts of calcium infusion and calcitriol before her serum calcium level returned to normal range. Some authors believed preoperative treatment with dihydroxy-vitamin D3 may prevent this syndrome. But its effect is variable. A few case reports suggested that preoperative administration of bisphosphonates prohibits hungry bone syndrome. Though the exact mechanism is not known, bisphosphonates are known to have potent inhibitory effect on osteoclastic activity in addition to transient inhibitory effect on mineralization. Much more research on HBS is needed.
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