Histology Fact Sheet: Parathyroid

There are four parathyroid glands.  These are located on the posterior surface of the thyroid glands.

Each parathyroid is enclosed in a capsule. The capsule has trabecueae which go into the gland.

Upon examing the histology, it can be seen that there are two cell types in the parathyroid gland: principal cells and oxyphil cells. Principal cells are also called chief cells. On a histology slide, principal cells are the more abundant. Oxyphil cells are also found in the parathyroid gland; however they are not as prevalent as principal cells. The oxyphil cells are larger than the principal cells.

Sources:

Histology: A Text and Atlas
Michael H. Ross/Edward J. Reith

http://www.training.seer.cancer.gov; funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, via contract number N01-CN-67006, with Emory University, Atlanta SEER Cancer Registry, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.