Parathyroid Surgery in Los Angeles

Hyperparathyroidism may be the most consequential diagnosis most people have never heard of. Four glands the size of rice grains quietly control every milligram of calcium in your body — and when one of them malfunctions, the result can be years of fatigue, kidney stones, bone loss, and mental fog that nobody connects to the real cause. The cure is a short, elegant operation. Dr. Jason S. Cohen, a board-certified surgical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers, performs minimally invasive parathyroid surgery that resolves the problem, often through an incision of about an inch.

What the parathyroid glands do — and what goes wrong

Despite the similar name, the parathyroid glands have nothing to do with metabolism. These four tiny glands, tucked behind the thyroid, produce parathyroid hormone (PTH) — the master regulator of calcium in your blood, bones, and kidneys. Calcium, in turn, powers your nerves, muscles, heart rhythm, and mind. The system normally works with thermostat-like precision.

In primary hyperparathyroidism, one of the glands — occasionally more than one — develops a benign growth called an adenoma and begins producing hormone regardless of what the body needs. Calcium is pulled steadily out of the bones and rises in the bloodstream. The disease is almost never cancerous, but left untreated it quietly erodes bone density, promotes kidney stones, and degrades quality of life in ways patients often only recognize in hindsight, after the cure.

Symptoms most people never connect to calcium

Why surgery is the cure

There is no medication that fixes primary hyperparathyroidism. Removing the abnormal gland is the only cure — and fortunately, it is one of the most satisfying operations in surgery. Cure rates in experienced specialist hands are excellent, and the operation itself has become remarkably refined.

Not every patient with mild laboratory abnormalities requires an operation, and guidelines define who benefits most: patients with symptoms, kidney stones, reduced bone density, significantly elevated calcium, or younger age. Dr. Cohen reviews your labs, imaging, and story, and gives you a clear recommendation — including when monitoring is reasonable instead.

How minimally invasive parathyroidectomy works

Finding the culprit before surgery

The modern operation begins before the operating room. Imaging — typically a specialized ultrasound, sestamibi scan, or 4D-CT — localizes the abnormal gland in advance. When the culprit is identified beforehand, Dr. Cohen can go directly to it through a small, focused incision rather than exploring the whole neck.

In the operating room

Under anesthesia, the abnormal gland is removed through an incision of roughly an inch, placed in a natural skin crease. Because PTH has a very short life in the bloodstream, Dr. Cohen uses intraoperative PTH testing: hormone levels are measured during surgery, and a proper drop confirms — before the incision is closed — that the overactive gland is out and no other gland is misbehaving. You leave the operating room with the cure already verified.

Afterward

Most patients go home the same day with minimal discomfort. Calcium and vitamin D supplements support the bones during the transition, and many patients describe improvements in energy and clarity within weeks — often remarking that they had forgotten what normal felt like. Bone density typically improves over the following years.

Why experience matters so much in parathyroid surgery

Parathyroid glands are small, variable in position, and easily confused with other tissue — and the difference between a cure and a failed exploration is the surgeon’s familiarity with exactly this anatomy. Reoperations for missed glands are far more difficult than getting it right the first time. This is why guidelines consistently recommend that parathyroid surgery be performed by surgeons with specific, high-volume experience in it.

Dr. Cohen’s practice is dedicated to thyroid and parathyroid surgery. That focus — combined with surgical oncology training, advanced localization imaging, and routine use of intraoperative PTH confirmation — is what allows him to offer the small-incision, high-cure-rate operation patients are looking for.

Serving Los Angeles

Dr. Cohen evaluates and treats hyperparathyroidism for patients from Beverly Grove, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, the Valley, and across greater Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers. If your calcium has ever been flagged as high, a focused consultation can determine within one visit whether your parathyroids are the cause.

Frequently asked questions

This page provides patient-education content and does not replace a medical consultation. Individual recommendations depend on an in-person evaluation with Dr. Cohen.