Objective To understand anatomy of parathyroid gland and explore its application value in protection of parathyroid gland function during thyroidectomy. Methods The literatures, which were associated with the parathyroid anatomy and hypoparathyroidism were collected. The origin, function, anatomical location, number, blood supply, lymphatic system of the parathyroid gland and its relationship with surrounding tissues of parathyroid gland and its clinical significance in the thyroidectomy, were reviewed. Results The position of the superior parathyroid gland was relatively constant, and the inferior parathyroid gland was more likely to be ectopic. The number of the parathyroid gland was uncertain. The mainstream view was that the arterial supply of the parathyroid glands was mainly ensured by the inferior thyroid artery, a few by anastomosis of the superior and inferior thyroid arteries, or by the superior thyroid artery. However, the alternative view was that the blood supply of the parathyroid gland was not mainly derived from the inferior thyroid artery. The parathyroid gland was not easily distinguished from the adipose tissue and lymph node. Whether there was an independent lymphatic system in the parathyroid gland was still controversial. In the thyroidectomy, the parathyroid gland and its blood supply were reserved or protected by distinguishing from the Zuckerkandl tubercle, recurrent laryngeal nerve, and parathyroid specific attachment fat, which were identified by utilizing of the nanocarbon, loupe magnification, etc.. Especially in the central lymph neck dissection, the main thyroid artery trunk and its important branches should be carefully dissected or retained through the gentle capsular dissection and the correct use of energy devices for vessel sealing. The parathyroid gland in situ was reserved according to the parathyroid type. If it was not possible to be preserved, the parathyroid autotransplantation was necessary during the thyroidectomy. Conclusions Understanding origin and location of parathyroid gland, it could provide a direction for searching parathyroid gland during thyroidectomy. Being familiar with blood supply of parathyroid gland makes it possible to protect blood vessel and preserve parathyroid gland. Gentle capsular dissection, rational use of energy device, and indocyanine green angiography seem to be more important. Number of parathyroid gland allows us to treat each parathyroid gland as the last one, if it is not preserved in situ , parathyroid gland need to be autografted to avoid hypoparathyroidism.
ObjectivesTo explore if epilepsy and idiopathic hypoparathyroidism could be coexisted in one patient.MethodsCollected clinical data of two epilepsy children with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University in January 2009. We record the clinical material in detail. The follow-up of two cases is oven 9 years. The diagnosis of idiopathic hypothyroidism is mainly based on the typical history, hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and hypoparathyroid hormone concentrations. The CT scans show calcifications at the junction of the basal ganglia and cortex and medulla.ResultsDuring 9 years of follow-up, both cases had recurred of convulsions due to reduced use of anti-epileptic drugs under conditions of normal serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Spontaneous slow wave can be found during 24 hours of EEG monitoring in the awake or sleep period. They continue oral antiepileptic drugs.ConclutionsWe suggested that children with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism can be combined with epilepsy. And the mechanism may be related to abnormal intracranial calcification. In addition to calcium and active vitamin D, anti-epileptic drugs which have little effect on metabolism of calcium and phosphorus should be selected for treatment.
ObjectiveTo investigate the application value of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technology for determining the blood supply of parathyroid in thyroid surgery.MethodsThe patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) from June 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018 were prospectively enrolled and then divided into a study group and control group randomly. The study group used the ICG fluorescence imaging technology to evaluate the blood supply of the parathyroid glands, while the control group assessed the blood supply by naked eyes, then determined that whether the parathyroid glands were retained in situ or autotransplanted. The incidence of hypoparathyroidism, length of hospital stay, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were compared between the two groups.Results① A total of 60 patients with PTC were included in the study, and 30 patients in each group. There were no significant differences in the baseline informations of the two groups such as the gender, age, comorbidities, and preoperative PTH, Ca2+ levels, etc. (P>0.05). ② The ICG score of type A parathyroid glands (except type A3) was lower than that of type B parathyroid glands (0.99±0.38 versus 1.45±0.58, t=–2.395, P<0.05). ③ The length of postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the study group than in the control group (t=–2.159, P=0.035). ④ The ICG fluorescence imaging could significantly reduce the incidence of temporary hypoparathyroidism (χ2=5.079, P=0.024). The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was not statistically different between the two groups (χ2=1.000, P=0.317), and only 1 case appeared in the control group. ⑤ There were no statistically significant differences in the PTH and serum Ca2+ levels at day 1, month 1, month 3, and month 6 after the surgery between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionICG fluorescence imaging technology could be used to determine blood supply of parathyroid in situ in real time during operation. Further studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.
ObjectiveTo discover the indicators and develop a model for predicting protracted hypoparathyroidism (HPT) after thyroid cancer surgery in order to guide the early therapy for patients with HPT.MethodsThe clinical and postoperative pathological data of patients with thyroid cancer who received surgical treatment in the Xuanwu Hospital and Beijing Pinggu Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The potential indicators of postoperative HPT and protracted HPT were analyzed by logistic and LASSO regression analysis. A nomogram for predicting protracted HPT was constructed in the training set, and the discrimination and consistency of the nomogram were verified in the training set and the validation set respectively.ResultsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 464 patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer were finally included in the study. Among the 100 patients with postoperative HPT (except 1 case of incomplete data), 62 patients showed short-term HPT and 37 patients developed protracted HPT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the preoperative intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level [OR=0.953, 95%CI (0.931, 0.976), P<0.001], lobectomy with contralateral partial lobectomy [OR=3.247, 95%CI (1.112, 9.485), P=0.031], and total thyroidectomy [OR=11.096, 95%CI (5.432, 22.664), P<0.001] were related to postoperative HPT. The multivariant logistic regression analysis revealed that postoperative iPTH level was a predictive factor for protracted HPT [OR=0.719, 95%CI (0.588, 0.879), P=0.001]. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value of postoperative iPTH level in predicting protracted HPT was 0.848 [95%CI (0.755, 0.942)]; The cut-off value was 9.405 ng/L, and its specificity and sensitivity were 0.659 and 0.944, respectively. Moreover, the AUC value of the nomogram model including postoperative iPTH level and other clinicopathologic features (extraglandular invasion, cumulative maximum tumor diameter, and central lymph node dissection) for predicting protracted HPT was 0.900 [95%CI (0.817, 0.982)]; The cut-off score was 118.891, and its specificity and sensitivity were 0.772 and 0.944, respectively; The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test indicated good fit of nomogram (χ2=8.605, P=0.377). The AUC value of the nomogram was 0.640 [95%CI (0.455, 0.826)] in the validation set (Pinggu Hospital data). The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test also indicated good fit of nomogram (χ2=12.266, P=0.140).ConclusionsThe postoperative iPTH level is an important influencing factor of protracted HPT. The nomogram prediction model based on postoperative iPTH level and other clinicopathologic features has a favorable predictive value for protracted HPT.
ObjectiveTo introduce patients with long-term hypocalcemia and normal parathyroid hormone (PTH) values after total thyroidectomy, and to analyze the possible causes of this phenomenon. MethodsThe medical records of 1 010 consecutive patients with total thyroidectomy treated in the Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2019 to December 2020 were collected. Seven patients with normal PTH and blood calcium before operation and at least 2 times of PTH with hypocalcemia detected more than 6 months after operation were followed-up to understand the symptoms of hypocalcemia, vitamin D level and calcium consumption. ResultsSeven patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma underwent total thyroidectomy without parathyroid autotransplantation, and there were 6 cases with mild deficiency or insufficient of vitamin D before operation. The follow-up time was 12–28 months, and the median follow-up time was 19 months. Seven patients developed hypocalcemia after continuous administration of calcium and calcitriol, and vitamin D levels remained mild deficiency or insufficient, PTH decreased by more than 50% in 6 patients one year after operation compared with that before operation. ConclusionsPatients with long-term normal PTH values and hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy have obviously lower PTH levels than those before operation. The possible factors are parathyroid damage during operation and vitamin D deficiency. Such these patients should be more properly referred to as “parathyroid insufficiency”.
Objective To explore the accuracy and efficiency of indocyanine green fluorescence (ICGF) imaging in evaluating blood perfusion of parathyroid gland (PG) during total thyroidectomy. Methods Seventy patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) from March 2021 to December 2021 were enrolled and randomly divided into experimental group (ICGF imaging, n=35) and control group (normal treatment, n=35). Blood perfusion of PGs was evaluated by ICGF imaging and naked eye in each group respectively. The perfusion of PGs, incidence of hypoparathyroidism, and number of autotransplanted PGs were analyzed between the two groups. Results There was no difference between two groups in the incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism (P=0.339), and no one occurred permanent hypoparathyroidism. More PGs were autotransplanted in the experimental group compared to the control group (P＜0.001). At least one PG with good perfusion in the experimental group predicted an extremely high rate of normal parathyroid hormone levels of the patients postoperatively than the control group (P=0.003). Conclusion ICGF imaging can evaluate the blood perfusion of PGs accurately and guide their autotransplantation.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of probe-based near infrared autofluorescence (AF) technology in the identification and functional protection of parathyroid gland (PG) during endoscopic total thyroidectomy. MethodsWe retrospectively collected the clinical data of 160 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral central compartment lymph node dissection due to papillary thyroid carcinoma in Chongqing General Hospital from 1 July 2023 to 31 January 2024. Among them, 80 patients who used probe-based near infrared AF technology to identify the PGs were categorized as the AF group, 80 patients who used naked eye (NE) to identify the PGs were categorized as the NE group. The number of PGs identified, inadvertently removed, preserved in situ and autotransplanted, the incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism, and operative time were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was significantly lower in the AF group than that of the NE group [21.25% (17/80) vs. 43.75% (35/80), χ2=9.231, P=0.002], with no cases of permanent hypoparathyroidism in either group. The AF group had significantly more PGs identified and preserved in situ than the NE group (P<0.05) , but had significantly fewer PGs inadvertently removed and autotransplanted than the NE group (P<0.05). The AF group identified the first PG earlier than the NE group (4 min vs. 5 min, P<0.001. But there was no statistically difference in the operative time between the two groups (90 min vs. 94 min, P=0.052). ConclusionThe probe-based near infrared AF technology can help surgeons better identify and protect PGs during surgery, reducing the incidence of postoperative transient hypoparathyroidism.