Evaluation and management of thyroid incidentalomas detected prior to the parathyroid surgery

Background

We investigated the management of thyroid incidentalomas associated with cases of parathyroid lesions in order to suggest a practical approach to their management from a surgical point of view.

不同钙浓度透析液治疗甲状旁腺切除术后低钙血症的探讨

目的观察血液透析患者行甲状旁腺切除术后,使用不同钙浓度透析液纠正术后低钙血症的效果。方法回顾性分析2011年10月至2014年5月我院血液透析中心行甲状旁腺切除术的13例患者,根据术后透析治疗时使用的不同钙浓度透析液,分为A组(使用钙浓度1.50 mmol/L透析液)5例,B组(使用钙浓度1.75 mmol/L透析液)8例。分别观察2组患者术后当日、术后第3、6个月透析前后的血压及透析间期的血钙、血磷、全段甲状旁腺素(intact parathyroid hormone,iPTH),比较数值之间的变化;同时统计2组患者口服钙剂的用量,并通过彩色多普勒超声心脏瓣膜评估及胸部多层螺旋电子计算机断层扫描成像(multi-slice computed tomography,MSCT)所示心脏大血管的影像学表现,比较术前及术后第6个月患者冠状动脉钙化评分分值的变化。结果比较2组单次血液透析治疗时透析前与透析结束后4 h的血钙,2组透析结束后4 h的血钙较透析前均升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。同时分别比较2组透析前与术后第3、6个月时血钙变化,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。而2组之间透析前的血磷、iPTH无统计学差异(P0.05)。通过6个月调整治疗后,血钙较术后当日明显升高(P0.05),血磷明显下降(P0.05)。术后第6个月时,B组较A组口服钙片的剂量明显减少,血压明显上升(P0.05)。同时术前及术后第6个月心脏瓣膜评估及冠状动脉钙化评分分值无明显变化(P0.05)。结论高钙透析液能更好、更快的纠正术后出现的严重低钙血症,减少维持性钙片的服用剂量,但须注意异位钙化的风险及高血压的发生。     

Thyroid and parathyroid surgeon case volume influences patient outcomes: A systematic review

BackgroundThe study aim was to systematically review literature evaluating surgeon volume-outcome relationships for thyroid and parathyroid operations in order to inform surgical quality improvement initiatives. Current literature suggests surgeons who perform a high volume of thyroid and/or parathyroid operations have better outcomes than low volume surgeons, though specific volume definition are not standardized.MethodsEligible studies were selected through a literature search focused on the effect of surgeon volume on thyroid and parathyroid surgery patient outcomes. The literature search was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Publication dates extended from January 1998 to February 2021, and were limited to articles published in English.ResultsA total of 33 studies were included: 25 studies evaluating thyroid surgery outcomes, 4 studies evaluating parathyroid surgery outcomes, and 4 studies evaluating both thyroid and parathyroid (mixed) surgery outcomes. Higher volume thyroid and parathyroid surgeons were found to be associated with fewer surgical and medical complications, shorter length of hospital stay, and reduced total cost when compared to lower volume surgeons. This volume-outcome relationship was also found to specifically affect the complication and recurrence rates for thyroid cancer patients undergoing surgery, especially for individuals with advanced stage disease.ConclusionThe heterogeneity in cut-offs used for characterizing surgeons as high versus low volume, and also in subsequent patient outcome measures, limited direct study comparisons. The trend of improved patient outcomes with higher surgeon volume for both thyroid and parathyroid surgeries was consistently present in all studies reviewed.     

甲状旁腺功能亢进症术前和术中定位病变甲状旁腺的研究进展

甲状旁腺是人体颈部的一个结节状内分泌腺体,位于甲状腺后方,其主要功能是分泌调节血钙的甲状旁腺激素（PTH）。甲状旁腺功能亢进症（HPT）是指甲状旁腺分泌过多PTH,从而引起血生化改变,导致相关系统功能的损害,严重影响患者的生活质量,甚至导致死亡。目前最主要的治疗方式是手术切除病变甲状旁腺,而准确定位对微创甲状旁腺切除术至关重要。因为它能提高手术成功率,最大限度地减少误伤甲状旁腺的发生率以及损伤相关的并发症。近几年来,随着技术设备的创新和普及,不同的定位方式有了更好的敏感度和准确率。随着临床研究的不断深入和更新,对于不同类型HPT的定位方式有了更好的指导意义。目前甲状旁腺微创外科技术已经取代了传统的广泛探查,在保证手术成功率的同时带来更少的损伤和并发症,这也是对甲状旁腺定位方式更高的要求。因此,笔者就目前HPT病变甲状旁腺定位方式的研究进展进行综述,旨在为临床HPT的手术治疗提供更优的定位选择以及一些新的思路和方向。     

Contemporary surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism without intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement

Introduction

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is usually the result of a single adenoma that can often be accurately located preoperatively and excised by a focused operation. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) measurement is used occasionally to detect additional abnormal glands. However, it remains controversial as to whether IOPTH monitoring is necessary. This study presents the results of a large series of focused parathyroidectomy without IOPTH measurement.

Methods

Data from 2003 to 2014 were collected on 180 consecutive patients who underwent surgical treatment for pHPT by a single surgeon. Preoperative ultrasonography and sestamibi imaging was performed routinely, with computed tomography (CT) and/or selective venous sampling in selected cases. The preferred procedure for single gland disease was a focused lateral approach guided by on-table surgeon performed ultrasonography. Frozen section was used selectively and surgical cure was defined as normocalcaemia at the six-month follow-up appointment.

Results

Focused surgery was undertaken in 146 patients (81%) and 97% of these cases had concordant results with two imaging modalities. In all cases, an abnormal gland was discovered at the predetermined site. Of the 146 patients, 132 underwent a focused lateral approach (11 of which were converted to a collar incision), 10 required a collar incision and 4 underwent a mini-sternotomy. At 6 months following surgery, 142 patients were normocalcaemic (97% primary cure rate). Three of the four treatment failures had subsequent surgery and are now biochemically cured. There were no complications or cases of persistent hypocalcaemia.

Conclusions

This study provides further evidence that in the presence of concordant preoperative imaging, IOPTH measurement can be safely omitted when performing focused parathyroidectomy for most cases of pHPT.     

Patterns of disease in patients at a tertiary referral centre requiring reoperative parathyroidectomy

Introduction

Reoperative parathyroidectomy is required when there is persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism following the initial surgery (at least 5% of parathyroidectomies nationally). By convention, ‘persistent disease’ is defined as the situation where the patient has not been cured by the first operation. The term ‘recurrent hyperparathyroidism’ is used when the patient was confirmed to be biochemically cured for six months from the first operation but has hyperparathyroidism after this date. Reoperative surgery is associated with higher rates of postoperative complications as well as a greater rate of failure to cure. The aim of our study was to review our departmental experience of reoperative parathyroidectomy, with a view to identify patterns of disease persistence and recurrence.

Methods

Using a departmental database, patients were identified who had undergone reoperative parathyroidectomy between 2006 and 2014. All the pre, intra and postoperative information was documented including the operative note so as to record the location of the abnormal parathyroid gland found at reoperation.

Results

Almost two-thirds (63%) of patients had negative, equivocal or discordant conventional imaging so secondary investigative tools were required frequently. The majority of abnormal glands were found in eutopic locations. The most common locations for ectopic glands were intrathyroidal, mediastinal and intrathymic. A third (33%) of the patients had multigland disease and over a quarter (28%) had coexisting thyroid disease.

Conclusions

Persistent hyperparathyroidism represents a challenging patient subgroup for which access to all radiological modalities and intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring are required. Patient selection for reintervention is a key determinant in the reoperation cure rate.     

Skin Necrosis After Intravenous Calcium Chloride Administration as a Complication of Parathyroidectomy for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: Report of Four Cases

Intravenous (i.v.) calcium chloride is usually given to treat symptomatic hypocalcemia; however, the extravasation of calcium solution may cause soft tissue and skin necrosis. After parathyroidectomy and autotransplantation for secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with end-stage renal failure, i.v. calcium infusion is often necessary to treat severe postoperative hypocalcemia. We reviewed 371 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism between January 2000 and June 2005, 96 of whom received i.v. calcium postoperatively for symptomatic hypocalcemia. We report the cases of three (3%) of our own patients and of one patient referred to our hospital, who suffered skin necrosis after i.v. calcium solution administration. These reports show that i.v. calcium should be administered into large veins, or via a central line, and diluted in an appropriate volume of solution. Moreover, the calcium solution infusion should be ceased if the patient complains of tenderness over the injection site. If skin necrosis develops, we suggest early debridement and a simple split thickness skin graft to repair the skin defect. We report our experience to remind surgeons of the danger of calcium chloride injection and to discuss ways of preventing and treating this complication.     

Value of Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Monitoring

Background Routine use of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) has been challenged in both unilateral/limited (LE) and bilateral exploration (BE). To investigate this, we assessed the usefulness of IOPTH in surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism and parathyroid carcinoma (PC). Methods Between 1998 and 2006, 1133 patients were explored for hyperparathyroidism: 185 LE, 743 BE with IOPTH, 95 BE without IOPTH, 110 reoperations, and 4 PCs. IOPTH patterns were correlated with parathyroid pathology (single adenoma [SA] or multigland disease [MGD]) and operative success. Results In LE, IOPTH returned to normal in 78% of patients; all patients had SA, and 99% were cured at a mean ± SEM of 1.2 ± .24 years; 22% of LE patients (n = 41) whose IOPTH did not return to normal were converted to BE, and all had MGD. BE with and without IOPTH was equally successful 97% and 98% (P = NS) of the time, respectively. In BE in which IOPTH did not return to normal, 9% of patients remained hypercalcemic; tumor distribution mirrored other BE patients (75% SA, 25% MGD). In reoperations, a normal final IOPTH correlated with cure in 99%; otherwise, 59% had persistent disease. Differential bilateral internal jugular vein IOPTH sampling lateralized disease in 77% of reoperations. Conclusions IOPTH is an important adjunct for successful LE by identifying the presence of MGD and avoiding operative failure. IOPTH adds little to BE; however, final IOPTH values may predict persistent disease in BE, reoperations, and PCs.