Modified cryopreservation and xenotransplantation of human parathyroid tissue.

Introduction: A modified cryopreservation technique for human parathyroid tissue was compared with the standard method using a programmed freezer. Methods: Total parathyroidectomy was performed in three groups of 6-week-old Rowett nude rats. Group I (control) underwent no transplantation of parathyroid tissue (n=9). After 10 days, the rats of groups II (n=15) and III (n=15) underwent xenotransplantation of 20 mg cryopreserved human parathyroid tissue, which had been stored in liquid nitrogen at –196°C for 1–22 months prior to xenotransplantation. The parathyroid tissue was derived from 15 parathyroidectomized patients with renal hyperparathyroidism. Two tissue samples were obtained from eve…