Credit score: JAMA Surgical procedure (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2025.2233
A workforce led by Vanderbilt College and Vanderbilt College Medical Heart biomedical engineers and surgeons has printed outcomes of a big medical trial exhibiting that use of a near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) probe gadget improves intraoperative identification of parathyroid glands (PGs).
The biomedical engineers and surgeons printed the outcomes of the primary multicenter, randomized medical trial utilizing this know-how throughout endocrine neck procedures in JAMA Surgical procedure.
Whereas endocrine neck surgical procedure is mostly secure with a low charge of issues, inadvertent elimination and injury to PGs may cause hypoparathyroidism, a situation that may result in low ranges of calcium and elevated ranges of phosphorus within the blood.
Lengthy-term hypoparathyroidism issues embrace impaired kidney operate, cardiac arrhythmias and elevated danger of loss of life. Due to this, it’s essential to precisely establish these glands throughout parathyroidectomy and thyroidectomy.
In 2018, the Meals and Drug Administration granted de novo classification and advertising and marketing authorization for a tool to help with detection of parathyroid glands in adults referred to as the PTeye, which was used on this trial.
The gadget was developed by the Vanderbilt Biophotonics Heart, led by Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Ph.D., the Orrin H. Ingram Professor of Engineering. Its medical implementation was pioneered by a gaggle of VUMC surgeons led by Carmen Solórzano, MD, chair of the Division of Surgical procedure, John L. Sawyers Professor of Surgical Sciences and director of Vanderbilt Endocrine Surgical procedure.
“NIRAF technology leverages the fact that parathyroid tissue emits a stronger near-infrared autofluorescence signal than other tissues in the neck, so it glows in the surgical field when using our device,” mentioned Mahadevan-Jansen.
“Our team has been working diligently for several years to take this from concept in our lab to clinical practice. It is gratifying to now have this large, multicenter clinical trial provide further evidence of its impact in successfully and efficiently identifying PGs during surgery. It is our ultimate goal to improve the accuracy of endocrine neck surgeries, which will lead to improved patient outcomes.”
There are sometimes 4 parathyroid glands within the human physique. The multisite randomized medical trial confirmed a big enhance within the imply variety of PGs recognized throughout thyroidectomies utilizing the probe-based NIRAF—3.3 versus 2.8 with out the gadget.
In bilateral parathyroidectomies, there was additionally an enchancment within the imply variety of PGs recognized utilizing the gadget (3.5) versus with out (3.2). Utilizing the gadget didn’t add worth throughout centered procedures the place a single overactive PG was focused for elimination.
For each the NIRAF and management teams having thyroidectomies, there was no important discount within the charges of transient or long-term hypoparathyroidism.
“PGs can have unpredictable locations and can be found anywhere in the neck from just below the jaw to the chest, near the heart,” mentioned Solórzano.
“Regular PGs are concerning the measurement of a lentil and appear to be different tissues within the neck, to allow them to be tough to find and establish, even for expert surgeons. Our earlier medical trial at VUMC confirmed an accuracy charge of 97% when utilizing the gadget to detect PGs.
“Relying on eyesight alone during thyroid or parathyroid procedures might not bring the best outcomes, so we are excited to now have further evidence of the accuracy of this device and to have it available to surgeons throughout the world.”
The medical trial was performed at 4 medical facilities between March 2020 and July 2024. It concerned 752 sufferers present process surgical procedure for major hyperthyroidism or thyroid illness, with a six-month follow-up. Along with VUMC, the medical trial was additionally carried out by investigators on the College of Michigan, College of California-San Francisco and the Medical Faculty of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Extra data:
Alexandria G. Cousart et al, Close to-Infrared Autofluorescence for Parathyroid Detection Throughout Endocrine Neck Surgical procedure, JAMA Surgical procedure (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2025.2233
Offered by
Vanderbilt College
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Multicenter trial confirms near-infrared autofluorescence will increase detection of parathyroid glands (2025, August 8)
retrieved 8 August 2025
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