Canadian patient receives groundbreaking treatment for a disabling disorder, with a parathyroid transplant into her arm
CTV
Canadian doctors say they have cured a patient with a severe and disabling disorder with a parathyroid transplant from a deceased donor. Dawn Ethier, a mother of four and police officer in Ottawa, is the first in North America and one of perhaps two in the world given new parathyroid glands that have eliminated her debilitating symptoms.
Canadian doctors say they have cured a patient with a severe and disabling disorder with a parathyroid transplant from a deceased donor.
Dawn Ethier, a mother of four and police officer in Ottawa, is the first in North America and one of perhaps two in the world given new parathyroid glands that have eliminated her debilitating symptoms.
"I was like, 'Oh my goodness, is this really working? Is this really happening?'" Ethier told CTV News.
The new parathyroid glands sit inside her right forearm where they were implanted by surgeons at Toronto General Hospital in May.
"All four of them are right in here," said the 47-year-old, pointing to a barely visible scar on the inside of her arm.
Her case may mark the start of a new treatment for some patients who have hypoparathyroidism disease, often caused by neck surgery for thyroid disease.
"I think it has the potential to treat a lot of patients who are out there with this debilitating problem," said Dr. Karen Devon, an endocrine surgeon with the Sprott Department of Surgery at the University Health Network in Toronto. This was her first transplant ever, performed with a team at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre.
