Surveillance Neck Sonography After Thyroidectomy for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Pitfalls in the Diagnosis of Locally Recurrent and Metastatic Disease

A sonographic examination of the neck performed 6 to 12 months after thyroid surgery in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer is strongly recommended by the American Thyroid Association and considered mandatory by the European Thyroid Association for locoregional surveillance. The aim of this article is to review the normal anatomic changes expected after thyroid surgery and the pathologic mimics of thyroid carcinoma recurrence in post‐thyroidectomy patients as they appear on neck sonography. We hope to offer some pearls to increase diagnostic confidence in this setting.     

Thyroid metastasis from breast cancer presenting with enlarged lateral cervical lymph nodes: A case report

BACKGROUND Secondary malignancy of the thyroid occurs infrequently and mainly originates from malignant tumors of the kidney,gastrointestinal tract,lungs,breast,and skin.The correct diagnosis is important but difficult.Importantly,there are major differences in the treatment of primary and metastatic thyroid cancer,which has a significant impact on prognosis and survival.Therefore,how to diagnose thyroid metastasis(TM)correctly before surgery is a major concern for surgeons.CASE SUMMARY We report a 38-year-old woman who presented with palpable cervical lymph nodes after breast cancer(BC)surgery 2 years ago.Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed thyroid nodules with irregular margins and enlarged cervical lymph nodes.Biopsy was performed for the right largest cervical lymph node,and immunohistochemical analysis revealed negativity for thyroglobulin,estrogen receptor,and progestin receptor and positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.The diagnosis was TM from BC with cervical lymph node metastasis.Total thyroidectomy with bilateral central and lateral neck lymph node dissection was performed.After a 5-mo follow-up,no recurrence or novel distant metastasis was identified.CONCLUSION TM from BC is a rare secondary malignancy.Broad differential diagnosis by biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis needs to be considered.     

Neck schwannoma diagnosed by core needle biopsy: a case report

Here we present a case of a 58 year old man referred to our hospital to undergo neck and thyroid ultrasonography (US) following palpable neck mass. US revealed a solid hypoechoic nodule in right thyroid lobe, and a solid lesion on the right laterocervical neck region with ultrasound suspicious features of neoplastic lymph node. In order to achieve a diagnosis of the neck mass and to get a proper evaluation of the thyroid nodule, we decided to perform a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of both lesions. At cytopathologic examination the thyroid nodule appeared as benign, while cytologic sampling of the neck lesion was inadequate for a proper evaluation. Thus, we performed core needle biopsy (CNB) of the neck lesion like recently proposed for thyroid lesions; also, to definitively exclude malignancy of thyroid nodule, this also underwent CNB. Histologic report of CNB confirmed benign thyroid nodule, while the neck lesion revealed a proliferation of neuronal type consistent with schwannoma. The patient has been addressed to clinical and ultrasonographic follow-up. CNB appears as a safe and minimally-invasive approach to diagnose indeterminate neck masses and avoid unnecessary diagnostic surgery.     

颈部无疤痕内镜辅助甲状腺切除术的护理

目的探讨经胸部切口内镜辅助甲状腺切除术(EAT)患者的最佳护理程序。方法对入选的56例甲状腺单个结节患者行经胸部皮肤切口内镜辅助甲状腺切除术。通过胸部皮肤1个约4cm切口,在内窥镜电视显示和肉眼观察下,不用充气,以与传统手术相似的技术进行手术。结果本组54例行一侧甲状腺叶次全切除术,2例为一侧甲状腺叶全切除+峡部切除,无一例需中转传统手术。1例术后喉返神经麻痹。本组56例患者术后恢复好,无护理并发症,对手术的美容效果满意。结论内镜辅助甲状腺切除术是可行和安全的,美容效果好。术前做好患者的心理护理,严格术前准备,术后严密病情观察及护理是保证手术成功和患者康复的重要措施。     

甲状腺术后缝线肉芽肿超声图像分析

摘 要 目的 分析甲状腺术后患者颈部手术缝线刺激形成的异物肉芽肿的超声表现，以提高甲状腺术后结节超声诊断的准确率，减少不必要的穿刺或重复手术。方法 回顾性分析2015年10月-2018年3月至我院超声科就诊的甲状腺全切术或部分切除术后患者，挑选颈部结节经超声检查、细针穿刺细胞学检查及临床观察诊断为手术缝线异物肉芽肿者，分析其超声声像图特征性改变。结果 最终共47名患者（86枚颈部肉芽肿结节）纳入研究。本研究入选的86枚肉芽肿结节均分布于甲状腺残端边缘或手术区软组织内，均表现为低回声结节，无包膜，形态呈多样，边缘不规则，其内均见多发性点状强回声，后方多伴有声影。所有结节中80例显示血流信号稀少（93.02%），6例血流丰富（6.98%）。经弹性超声检查，弹性评分2级者占27.91%（24/86例），3级者27.91%（24/86例），4级者44.19%（38/86例）。结论 甲状腺术后缝线肉芽肿超声声像图具有特征性改变，多表现为甲状腺残端或周围颈部软组织内的不规则低回声，内部伴集中于结节中心的点状强回声，以此可与甲状腺恶性病变相鉴别。     

Pre-operative Detection of Thyroid Pyramidal Lobes by Ultrasound and Computed Tomography

This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of pre-operative ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) for detecting thyroid pyramidal lobe (TPL). A single radiologist prospectively performed thyroid US and retrospectively reviewed neck CT to detect TPLs in 135 consecutive patients scheduled for thyroid surgery. The location, size and superior extent of each TPL and its separation or continuity with the main thyroid gland were assessed by thyroid US, neck CT and surgery. The prevalence of TPLs as diagnosed by thyroid US, neck CT and surgery was 58.5% (79/135), 56.3% (76/135) and 60% (81/135), respectively. We compared US and CT detection of TPLs with surgical data to determine their sensitivity (85.2% and 91.4%), specificity (81.5% and 94.4%), positive (87.3% and 96.1%) and negative (78.6% and 87.9%) predictive values and accuracy (83.7% and 92.6%). For detecting TPLs, both neck CT and thyroid US have good diagnostic value, although neck CT is more accurate than thyroid US.     

颈伸位下头颈三维重建在甲状腺手术中的应用

  目的  探究在颈伸位下三维重建头颈结构在甲状腺手术中的应用价值。  方法  选择20例已经由病理结果证实的甲状腺疾病患者在颈伸位下的平扫CT图像,应用三维重建软件3DVWorks,对甲状腺、甲状腺结节、甲状软骨、下颌骨、锁骨、皮肤等组织进行三维重建,测量多个空间角度及径线以评估疾病及治疗方案。  结果  通过在头颈三维重建模型中对下段气管所在的不同平面与甲状腺手术相关解剖结构的角度与距离测量,综合评估后在甲状腺结节 < 3 cm的11例患者中有3例患者不适合行经口腔镜术式,可行其他腔镜等术式;3例患者不适合行经口、经胸乳腔镜术式及经腋窝等腔镜手术,仅适合开放手术;1例患者因结节分期较高,不推荐行腔镜手术;另外4例患者各类手术均可施行。通过构建胸廓入口及以此平面准确分割巨大甲状腺体积,对6例含有结节 > 3 cm的巨大甲状腺进行预评估后发现均未达经颈胸联合切除甲状腺的指标要求,6例患者行传统单纯经颈切口即可完整切除甲状腺。对有残留甲状腺的3例患者,预评估显示3例残余甲状腺均可准确定位并能指导手术切除。  结论  通过在颈伸位下三维重建头颈结构并建立评估指标,对腔镜手术方式选择、巨大甲状腺肿诊治、残余甲状腺术中定位有独特优势,有助于形成良好的手术策略,更有益于医患交流。      

Do medullary thyroid carcinoma patients with high calcitonin require bilateral neck lymph node clearance? A case report

BACKGROUNDIn clinical work, 85%-90% of malignant thyroid diseases are papillary thyroid cancer (PTC); thus, clinicians neglect other types of thyroid cancer, such as medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).CASE SUMMARYWe report a 53-year-old female patient with a preoperative calcitonin level of 345 pg/mL. There was no definitive diagnosis of MTC by preoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology or intraoperative frozen pathology, but the presence of PTC and MTC was confirmed by postoperative paraffin pathology. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection. Close follow-up at 1.5 years after surgery revealed no signs of recurrence or metastasis.CONCLUSIONThe issue in clinical work-up regarding types of thyroid cancer provides a novel and challenging idea for the surgical treatment of MTC. In the absence of central lymph node metastasis, it is worth addressing whether patients with high calcitonin can undergo total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection without bilateral lateral neck lymph node dissection.     

Minimally invasive endocrine surgery: aspects of diagnostic imaging

Since 1997 minimally invasive surgical techniques are used for the treatment of diseases of the adrenals, thyroid, parathyroid and the endocrine pancreas. In contrast to open surgical procedures special radiological examinations are the basis for minimally invasive techniques after biochemical testing. The basis of excellent results are a careful evaluation and preparation of the patient in a centre with experience in the open techniques and a frequency of at least 20 endoscopic adrenalectomies a year. Adrenal tumours can be removed endoscopically through a transperitoneal or an extraperitoneal route. The endoscopic exploration of the parathyroids in patients with biochemically proven primary hyperparathyroidism was modified to video-assisted exploration because of the long operating times. An alternative to the video-assisted procedure is the minimally invasive open exploration. With this technique reoperations can be performed and ipsilateral thyroid nodules (found in more than 50% in middle Europe) can be removed. Small solitary thyroid nodules are the indication for an endoscopic or video-assisted exploration of the thyroid. A laparoscopic exploration of the pancreas was performed in 68 patients with neuroendocrine pancreatic tumours. The experience of the surgical team improves the postoperative long term results, thus minimally invasive endocrine surgery should be performed in centres with great experience in the treatment of endocrine tumours and with the possibility of close contact to other specialists interested in this topic.     

99mTcO4-SPECT/CT显像对分化型甲状腺癌术后残留甲状腺组织的评估价值

目的:探讨99mTcO4-甲状腺SPECT/CT显像对分化型甲状腺癌(DTC)患者术后残甲及颈部腺外转移灶的评估价值。方法:入组240例拟行术后131I清甲治疗的DTC患者。患者131I治疗前行99mTcO4-甲状腺SPECT/CT显像,服131I后5天行SPECT/CT全身扫描,必要时行颈部断层扫描。把131I显像结果作为标准,评价99mTcO4-甲状腺SPECT/CT显像对术后残甲和颈部腺外转移灶的评估价值。结果:99mTcO4-甲状腺SPECT/CT显像对DTC患者术后残甲评价的灵敏度、特异度、准确度、阳性预测值和阴性预测值分别为83.7%、89.5%、84.2%、98.9%、32.1%;其对DTC患者术后颈部腺外转移灶评估的灵敏度为40.2%。结论:99mTcO4-甲状腺SPECT/CT显像可作为DTC患者清甲治疗前对残甲的评估检查方法;但在发现颈部腺外转移灶的敏感度方面尚不如131I显像。     

Parathyroid scintigraphy during hypocalcaemia in primary hyperparathyroidism

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive parathyroid surgery in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) demands high imaging accuracy. By increasing blood flow to the parathyroid adenoma before injection of a perfusion marker, we intended to improve the parathyroid scintigraphy. We have named the technique stimulated parathyroid scintigraphy (SPS). METHODS: Twenty minutes after injection of 100 MBq (99m)Tc-pertechnetate a thyroid scintigram was performed in 25 patients with PHPT. During the thyroid scintigraphy sodium citrate was infused which lowered plasma calcium by a mean of 14 +/- 1.3%. Then 700 MBq (99m)Tc-sestamibi was injected and another scintigram of the neck was obtained. Perchlorate was given at the end of the sestamibi scintigram to increase the wash-out of (99m)Tc-pertechnetate from the thyroid gland, and after 2 h a delayed scintigram was obtained. A subtraction of the thyroid scintigram from the initial sestamibi scintigram was performed. The results of SPS and a conventional (99m)Tc-sestamibi dual-phase parathyroid scintigraphy were compared with the operative findings. In nine patients the parathyroid adenoma was also localized with ultrasound and the flow pattern before and after citrate infusion was visualized with Doppler technique. RESULTS: Eighty-eight per cent of the adenomas were localized correctly with the SPS technique compared with 62% at the conventional parathyroid scintigraphy. Tissue perfusion of the nine adenomas increased after citrate infusion. CONCLUSIONS: SPS has a high accuracy and it is easy to perform. If only subtraction SPS is performed the whole examination can be completed within an hour, which is acceptable for same day surgery.     

A randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effects of telcagepant on exercise time in patients with stable angina

Telcagepant is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist being evaluated for acute migraine treatment. CGRP is a potent vasodilator that is elevated after myocardial infarction, and it delays ischemia during treadmill exercise. We tested the hypothesis that CGRP receptor antagonism does not reduce treadmill exercise time (TET). The effects of supratherapeutic doses of telcagepant on TET were assessed in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-period, crossover study in patients with stable angina and reproducible exercise-induced angina. Patients received telcagepant (600 mg, n = 46; and 900 mg, n = 14) or placebo and performed treadmill exercise at T(max) (2.5 h after the dose). The hypothesis that telcagepant does not reduce TET was supported if the lower bound of the two-sided 90% confidence interval (CI) for the mean treatment difference (telcagepant-placebo) in TET was more than -60 s. There were no significant between-treatment differences in TET (mean treatment difference: -6.90 (90% CI: -17.66, 3.86) seconds), maximum exercise heart rate, or time to 1-mm ST-segment depression using pooled data or with stratification for dose.     

Technique of recurrent laryngeal nerve exposure within the scope of interventions of the thyroid gland]

In anatomical preparations performed during autopsy we developed a well-defined approach for the identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery on the thyroid gland. The principle of this concept is to visualize the nerve near the branching of the inferior thyroid artery, where it shows a 30 degree angle to the trachea in a direction running from caudal lateral to cranial medial and lies in front of, behind, or between the branches of the artery. This preparation mode has been prospectively performed in 100 patients undergoing thyroid surgery. In 159 (= 97.6%) sides of the neck out of 163 we identified the nerve at the typical site. The topographical relation of the recurrent nerve to the inferior thyroid artery revealed the following differences for the right and left side of the neck: On the right side the nerve was found to be behind in 48%, in front in 33% and between the branches of the artery in 15% of cases. In contrast, on the left side the nerve was found to be dorsal in 53%, ventral in 23% and between the branches in 23%. Of 163 nerves at risk we observed primary nerve palsy in 2 cases (1.2%), and a definitive palsy rate of 0.6% at the 3-month follow-up. In conclusion, we recommend the described approach for the identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery whenever complete mobilisation of the thyroid lobe (e.g. thyroidectomy, lobectomy, resection of retrotracheal adenomas) is necessary.     

Transaxillary gasless robotic thyroid surgery with nerve monitoring: Initial two experince in a North American center

Abstract

Minimally invasive thyroid surgery using various techniques is well described. The present study reviews our initial experience with the technique with added intraoperative monitoring to assess its safety and feasibility. The study group consisted of ten consecutive patients with suspicious thyroid nodules who were candidates for thyroid lobectomy from September to December 2009. All patients underwent intraoperative nerve integrity monitoring and postoperative direct laryngoscopy. The patients' demographic information, operative times, learning curve, complications, and postoperative hospital stay were evaluated. All procedures were successfully completed with intraoperative nerve monitoring. No cases were converted to an open procedure. The median age was 38.5 years (σ = 13.5) and nine of the ten patients were females. The mean operating time was 131 minutes (range 101–203 minutes) and the mean operating time with the da Vinci system was 55 minutes. All patients were discharged home after an overnight stay. One patient developed transient radial nerve neuropathy that resolved spontaneously. There were no other postoperative complications. None of the patients complained of postoperative neck pain. Postoperative laryngoscopy showed intact and mobile vocal cords in all patients. Robotic endoscopic thyroid surgery with gasless transaxillary approach is feasible and safe in the treatment of suspicious thyroid nodules. Monitoring of the RLN during this approach is feasible.     

Predictive value of serum thyroglobulin and diagnostic imaging in post-surgical follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer

It is important to detect metastases of differentiated thyroid cancer after total thyroidectomy. Major sites of metastases are neck lymphnodes, lung, and bone. For this purpose diagnostic 131I whole body scan (WBS) and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) are important tools. If the WBS performed a few months after surgery shows metastases, treatment with high doses of 131I have therapeutic utility in patients with metastases. If patients are WBS(-) and Tg(+), PET-CT may be useful to detect metastases. If patients are WBS (-) and Tg (-), they are followed periodically by neck ultrasonography and serum Tg measurement.     

Calcitonin-negative neuroendocrine tumor of the thyroid with metastasis to liver-rare presentation of an unusual tumor: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine tumors mainly occur in the stomach,intestine,pancreas,and lung and are rarely detected in the thyroid.Thyroid neuroendocrine tumors,designated medullary thyroid carcinoma,generally present with elevated calcitonin.Calcitonin-negative neuroendocrine tumors of the thyroid are extremely rare.CASE SUMMARY Here,we present a case report of a 56-year-old female patient with a neck pain complaint.Total thyroidectomy was conducted after comprehensive evaluation,and diagnosis was confirmed as calcitonin-negative neuroendocrine tumor of the thyroid.Two months later,liver metastasis was detected,and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization was subsequently performed to control growth.However,the curative effect was unsatisfactory and multiple intrahepatic metastases occurred after 3 mo.CONCLUSION Owing to the rarity of this disease,no clear guidelines are available for treatment.In addition to reporting this rare case,we have reviewed and summarized associated medical literature with an aim to provide a comprehensive reference platform for subsequent research.     

Endoscopic neck surgery for thyroid carcinoma

In the past 5 years, endoscopic neck surgery has been performed by various surgeons in Japan. However, many problems remain to be solved, including indications for this related in malignant thyroid tumors. For small thyroid cancers and legions suspected of malignancy, we found that we could obtain radicality in endoscopic neck surgery that was comparable to that attainable by conventional methods. Here, we describe our recent endoscopic surgical experience in five patients with preoperative diagnoses of definite or suspected thyroid carcinoma.     

Determination of bladder neck position by intraoperative introital ultrasound in colposuspension: outcome at 6-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether open colposuspension modified by intraoperative ultrasound to prevent overcorrection is a safe and effective procedure. METHODS: Ninety women operated on for urodynamically proven genuine stress urinary incontinence underwent intraoperative introital ultrasound in a prospective observational clinical study. The positions of the bladder neck and proximal urethra were assessed by determining the parameters height (H), distance (D) and the urethrovesical angle (beta) perioperatively and for up to 6 months postoperatively. Colposuspension of the bladder neck was performed with a vertical height correction, DeltaH (resting H(intraop) - resting H(preop)) of 1 to 10 mm. Bladder neck positions were determined on an individual basis by introital ultrasound before, during and after surgery. RESULTS: Surgical elevation of the bladder neck (median height correction, DeltaH 4 mm) resulted in a median intraoperative elevation of 9 mm (6 months: 8 mm). All postoperative measurements showed a significant reduction of the median linear movement of the bladder neck during straining (P < 0.0001). Anti-incontinence surgery resulted in a significant reduction of funneling and hypermobility 6 months after surgery (P < 0.0001). At 6-month follow-up, 94% (85/90) of the women were continent. Evaluation immediately after surgery showed voiding difficulties and urge symptoms in 9% (8/90) of the patients each and de novo urge incontinence in 1% (1/90). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative introital ultrasound can help to optimize the colposuspension procedure. Ultrasonographic measurement of height H allows for objectively assessing the surgical procedure and can reduce postoperative complications by preventing excessive correction.     

Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the nasal inferior turbinate: a case report

An extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare neoplasm characterized by monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells without features of multiple myeloma. Most EMPs occur in the head and neck region, especially in the aerodigestive tract. We herein report a case of an EMP arising from the nasal inferior turbinate. The mass was surgically removed, and a short cycle of radiotherapy was performed after the surgery. There was no recurrence of the tumor after 1 year of follow-up. These result may be useful for physicians who encounter similar situations in clinical practice.