Parathyroid adenoma is the most common cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. It is characterized by hypersecretion of parathormone and serum ionized calcium. Patient preoperative information is of great importance and should include the explanation of hyperparathyroidism pathophysiology and clinical characteristics, the surgical procedure and its complications and effectiveness. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality application in preoperative information of patients with parathyroid adenoma.

Patients with parathyroid adenoma who undergone surgery in our Surgical Department from 2016-2022 were enrolled in this study. They were divided in two groups: Group A underwent the standard preoperative information, whereas in Group B, a virtual reality video of parathyroidectomy was added to the standard preoperative information. Postoperatively, patients' satisfaction was evaluated, applying a patients' satisfaction questionnaire.

Group A included 118 patients (2016-2018), while group B included 148 patients (2019-2022). Patients' satisfaction questionnaire consisted from 10 questions, from which two had statistically significant difference between groups, referring to the effectiveness of virtual reality video parathyroidectomy in the understanding of the disease and surgical procedure. Group A patients percentage with score very good/excellent was 82%, while in group B the percentage was 93% (p<0.05).

Patient comprehension of primary hyperparathyroidism, surgical management and possible complications are of great importance preoperatively. Virtual reality application has been proved beneficial in preoperative patient information.