The inferior thyroid artery (branch of the thyrocervical trunk) irrigates the posterior thyroid, including the parathyroid hormones.
The vignette describes a patient with hypoparathyroidism, likely due to damage to the parathyroid blood supply during thyroidectomy.
The parathyroids are supplied primarily by the inferior thyroid arteries, which branch from the thyrocervical trunk.
Collaterals from the superior thyroid arteries (branches of the external carotids) exist but are supplementary.
Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537203/
This question is asking for the vascular supply of the parathyroid glands. That would be the inferior thyroid arteries, which arise from the thyrocervical trunk.
Calcium is low while PTH is high. It’s primary hyperparathyroidism (not secondary). Ans is branch of IJV.
submitted by ∗sphazhang(1)
does anyone understand why the parathyroid hormone concentration is so high when this is supposed to be an iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism question? this really threw me off