Intraoperative radioguided thoracoscopic removal of ectopic parathyroid adenoma

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 72; no. 5; pp. 1758 - 1760
• Main Authors: Ott, Michael C., Malthaner, Richard A., Reid, Robert
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adenoma - diagnostic imaging; Adenoma - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Choristoma - diagnostic imaging; Choristoma - surgery; Female; Humans; Intraoperative Care; Mediastinal Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Mediastinal Diseases - surgery; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroid Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Parathyroid Neoplasms - surgery; Radionuclide Imaging; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of endocrine glands; Thoracoscopy - methods; 13; Endocrinopathy; Radionuclide study; Human; Treatment efficiency; Exploration; Intraoperative; Surgical resection; Adenoma; Case study; Guidance; Treatment; Parathyroid diseases; Surgery; Parathyroid glands; Endoscopy; Benign neoplasm; Ectopia; Technique; Thoracoscopy
• ISSN: 0003-4975; 1552-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/S0003-4975(01)02652-2

Twenty-five percent of primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by ectopic mediastinal parathyroid glands, with 2% of these not accessible to standard cervical surgical approaches. Advancement in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical techniques has decreased the need for sternotomy to successfully remove these ectopic glands. The thoracoscopic approach, however, is limited by the surgeon’s inability to always accurately visualize ectopic glands. Intraoperative radionuclide-guided dissection, using a thoracoscopic approach, provides a novel adjunct to the removal of occult ectopic parathyroid glands. We report a case of an occult ectopic parathyroid adenoma removed thoracoscopically using an intraoperative handheld gamma probe.