The Extent of Surgery for Thyroid Medullary Cancer

Aims

Evaluation of the impact of the extent of primary surgery and reintervention on the outcome of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Methods

Seventy-two patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) were surgically treated between 1967 and 1992.

Results

Fifty-five cases were sporadic, 5 patients had MEN 2A, 4 MEN 2B syndrome and 8 familial non-MEN MTC; 1 patient had stage I disease, 30 patients stage II, 36 stage III and 5 stage IV. Sixty-four had their initial treatment at our center, and 8 came for subsequent treatment. At first treatment, 8 patients were subjected to partial thyroidectomy, 10 to total thyroidectomy, 53 to total thyroidectomy with neck dissection, and 1 to only radical neck dissection; postoperative serum calcitonin (Ct) levels returned to normal in 3, 6 and 27 patients, respectively. In the patient with only radical neck dissection, Ct levels remained elevated. No patient with Ct normalization after surgery became responsive to pentagastrin in the follow-up. Thirteen patients had a reoperation due to nodal relapse. At a mean follow-up of 5.7 years (6-252 months), the 10-year survival rate was 84.5% with a significant difference between patients under and over 40 years of age (96.4 vs 57%), between stage I-II (100%) and stage III, IV (83.8%, 0% respectively). At the last follow-up, 36 (50%) patients were alive and disease free and 26 were alive with disease (15 with distant metastases). Of the 10 deaths, 7 were due to tumor recurrence, 3 to 120 months after surgery.

Conclusions

Data suggest that an earlier diagnosis rather than more extensive surgery could improve survival and reduce recurrences. However, the least treatment required is total thyroidectomy plus central neck and upper mediastinum clearance and in addition, according to the extent of nodal involvement, mono- or bilateral neck dissection. To avoid ineffective reoperation due to distant (mainly liver) micro-metastases, persistent residual microscopic disease requires a more aggressive restaging.

99MTc-mibi Radio-guided Surgery in Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Prospective Study of 128 Patients

Aims and study design

We investigated the role of an intraoperative gamma probe (IGP) technique in 128 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). The patients were evaluated before surgery by 99mTcO4/MIBI scintigraphy and neck ultrasound and then operated on by the same surgical team. The IGP technique consisted of the injection of a low dose (37 MBq) of 99mTc-MIBI in the operating room shortly before the start of surgery. Quick parathyroid hormone (QPTH) was routinely measured during the operation.

Results

In 94/97 patients (96.9%) with a preoperative diagnosis of solitary parathyroid adenoma (PA) minimally invasive radioguided surgery (MIRS) was successfully performed; in the other 3/97 patients (3.1%) conversion to bilateral neck exploration (BNE) was required because of the intraoperative diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma in two cases and multiglandular disease (MGD) in one. MIRS was successfully performed also in 23 patients who had undergone previous thyroid or parathyroid surgery. In 31 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of MGD (n = 5) or concomitant nodular goiter (n = 26) the IGP technique was used during a bilateral neck exploration. Among these patients IGP was useful in localizing an ectopic parathyroid gland in the thymus in one case of MGD and a PA located deep in the neck (n = 2) or ectopic at the carotid bifurcation (n = 1) in three cases with nodular goiter. However, in several other patients with nodular goiter it was difficult for the probe to distinguish intraoperatively between thyroid nodules and PA located close to the thyroid gland.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that a) in primary HPT patients with a high likelihood (according to scintigraphic and ultrasound findings) of being affected by a single PA and with a normal thyroid gland, the IGP technique appears useful in MIRS; b) a 99mTc-MIBI dose as low as 37 MBq appears to be adequate to perform MIRS; c) the measurement of QPTH is strongly recommended in HPT patients selected for MIRS to confirm the radicality of parathyroidectomy; d) MIRS can be useful also in HPT patients who underwent previous parathyroid or thyroid surgery to limit the surgical trauma of reoperation and minimize complications; e) with the exception of PAs located at ectopic sites or deep in the neck, the IGP technique does not seem to be recommendable in HPT patients with concomitant nodular goiter.

High Prevalence of Occult Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Surgical Series for Benign Thyroid Disease

In a surgical series of 277 consecutive patients operated on the thyroid for benign diseases, a high prevalence rate (10.5%) of occult papillary carcinoma was found by means of an accurate histologic examination. Indications for surgery were euthyroid multinodular goiter in 25 patients, autonomously hyperfunctioning adenoma in 2 and Graves’ disease in 2 patients. Neoplastic foci were unilaterally found in 25 cases but multifocally in 6 and bilaterally in 4 cases: the diameters ranged from 2-10 mm. After operation (14 subtotal and 15 total thyroidectomies), all patients received TSH-suppressive doses of T4. At a mean follow-up of 5.6 years, neither local recurrences nor lymph node or distant metastases had occurred; no patient died of the tumor. In keeping with other surgical and autopsy series, the prevalence of occult thyroid carcinoma in a normal population is calculated to be about 5-10%, whereas it is known that the prevalence of clinically evident thyroid cancer is only 0.05%. This means that only 1-2% of occult carcinomas may evolve in an overt tumor during life. In view of such an epidemiologic difference and the favorable course of our patients, although the mean follow-up is rather short, we suggest that lobectomy plus T4 treatment may be considered an adequate therapeutic approach in patients with occult papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Complications in thyroid resurgery: a single institutional experience on 233 patients from a whole series of 4,752 homogeneously treated patients

The aim of this study was to examine a homogeneous, consecutive recent series of patients who underwent reoperation on the thyroid bed to assess the incidence of the complications commonly correlated with resurgery. We reviewed clinical charts of 233 patients who underwent resurgery taken from a total of 4,752 patients previously operated on for benign and malignant thyroid diseases from 2006 to 2010 by the same surgical team. We evaluated the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage, hypoparathyroidism, and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy. Analyses were done separately in relation to the type of the type of resurgery adopted: (A) monolateral completion; (B) bilateral completion, after monolateral (B1) or bilateral prior surgery (B2); and (C) lymph node dissection. We also separately analyzed patients according to their final histological diagnosis of benign or malignant disease. Regarding hemorrhage, 6/233 patients (2.5 %) underwent surgical revision of the thyroid within 12 h for postoperative hemorrhage. They included 2 (1.5 %) of the 129 monolateral reoperations (A), 3 (4 %) of the 74 bilateral reoperations (B), and 1 (3.3 %) of the 30 central dissections for nodal relapse (C). Transient and definitive postoperative hypoparathyroidism was recorded in 78 (36.4 %) and 7 (3.3 %) of the 214 eligible patients. Transient RLN palsy occurred in 21 RLNs at risk (7 %) and definitive RLN palsy in 5 (1.7 %). Elective total thyroidectomy cannot always be supported as an effective policy for preventing recurrences in patients with a single, benign node: lobectomy, preferably with extemporaneous histological examination, unquestionably represents the best minimal approach to thyroid resection.

Surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism: from bilateral neck exploration to minimally invasive surgery

The human parathyroid glands, first described by Sandström in 1880, attracted interest because they were subject to inadvertent removal or ischemic injury during radical thyroid surgery. That this caused metabolic derangements was not known until many years later. Following on Kocher's studies, research continued to improve techniques sparing the parathyroids during thyroid surgery but without developing parathyroid surgery as such. For over a century, the lack of suitable surgical instruments, accurate preoperative localizing imaging techniques, and reliable laboratory tests hindered the evolution of parathyroid surgery, relegating it a marginal existence. Only after 1930, when it became clear that hyperparathyroidism is caused by an increased production of parathyroid hormone (PTH) by overactive parathyroid glands in the neck and/or the mediastinum, could parathyroid surgery, which shares a similar approach with thyroid surgery, be developed for treating hyperparathyroidism. The aim of parathyroid surgery is to cure hyperparathyroidism. Until advanced surgical and laboratory diagnostic technologies became available, concern about the risk of failure led surgeons to search all four glands by bilateral neck exploration, which proved unnecessary in 80% of cases. Recent years have seen parathyroid surgery evolve with the introduction of more efficacious preoperative localization imaging techniques and the use of rapid intraoperative parathormone assay, so that parathyroid surgery is now more selective and can be performed as a minimally invasive procedure in some cases.

[Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. Long-term outcome in 587 cases compared with published data]

AIM

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), a tumor measuring =or<1 cm according to the World Health Organization (WHO) histologic classification, is the most common histologic variant of thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of surgical treatment for PTMC at a single institution with a view to differentiate therapy options based on risk of progression of disease by comparing our results with those reported in the literature.

METHODS

The study sample was a total of 587 cases of PTMC treated surgically at our institution between 1990 and 2006. PTMC was an incidental finding (PTMC-I) in 325 (55.4%) cases, diagnosed preoperatively (PTMC-D) at echography and needle-aspiration biopsy in 229 (39%), and occult with metastasis (PTMC-O) in 33 (5.6%). Patients were grouped into two classes (PTMC diameter =or>5 mm or <5 mm) and compared against prognostic factors: sex, age, type of PTMC (PTMC-I, PTMC-D, PTMC-O), extent of surgery, lymph node dissection, lymph node metastasis, iodine-131 (131-I) therapy, state of disease, relapses. These parameters were then compared against tumor size (PTMC diameter =or>5 mm or <5 mm), excluding cases of PTMC-O with metastasis.

RESULTS

Comparison of the two groups divided by tumor size, across the entire sample and after PTMC-O cases were excluded, revealed significant differences in the type of PTMC, frequency of partial thyroidectomy, presence of lymph node metastasis, iodine-131 therapy, life status and recurrence rate.

CONCLUSION

Published PTMC studies were analyzed for definition of the disease, incidence, therapy, prognosis, and follow-up results and compared with our data. The results of our analysis argue against use of the term ''microcarcinoma'' in the wider sense since the three PTMC categories (PTMC-I, PTMC-D, PTMC-O) present different behaviour patterns. When cases of PTMC-O with clinically manifest metastasis were excluded, none of the patients with PTMC <5 mm in diameter were reoperated for tumor recurrence and all are currently free of disease. In conclusion In PTMC <5 mm in diameter, whether PTMC-I and PTMC-D, and without evidence of lymph node involvement, partial thyroidectomy may be a viable approach to treatment. By contrast, occult PTMC with metastasis is prognostically important and should therefore be treated like tumors =or>5 mm in diameter.

99mTc-sestamibi radio-guided surgery of loco-regional 131Iodine-negative recurrent thyroid cancer

AIM

We report here our experience in a larger series of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients who had been treated by (99m)Tc-sestamibi radio-guided surgery (RGS) for (131)Iodine ((131)I)-negative loco-regional recurrent disease.

METHODS

Fifty-eight patients with loco-regional (131)I-negative recurrent disease from DTC were studied with (99m)Tc-sestamibi directed RGS using a hand-held 11-mm gamma probe as an intra-operative detector. Patients were selected for RGS on the basis of (a) progressive increase of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels after first treatment during follow-up, (b) negative high dose (100 mCi, 3.7 GBq) (131)I whole-body scan, and (c) positive pre-operative (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy for the presence of loco-regional recurrent disease. There were 41 papillary (1 "tall" cell variant), 13 follicular and 4 Hürthle cells tumours. In 14 patients thyroid cancer recurred in the thyroid bed while cervical lymph node metastases were found in 37 patients, and 7 patients had recurrent disease both in the thyroid bed and in cervical lymph nodes.

RESULTS

At bilateral neck exploration, 147 metastatic foci ranging from 4 mm to 51 mm in largest diameter (mean tumour diameter=17.3+/-9.5mm) were removed. Eighty-five of them (58%) had been pre-operatively identified at (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy. After RGS, serum Tg levels normalised in 43 of 58 patients (serum Tg<2 ng/ml--they were considered disease-free), serum Tg remained slightly increased in 12 patients without evidence of metastatic disease at scintigraphic and radiologic imaging (serum Tg<10 ng/mg--they were considered living with microscopic disease), while serum Tg significantly increased up to values>900 ng/ml in 3 patients who developed lung metastases. The mean lesion to background (99m)Tc-sestamibi uptake ratios decreased in all 58 patients (p<0.0001). Post-surgical follow-up ranged 6-72 months (mean+/-SD=29.6+/-13.5 months). The operating surgeon assessed RGS as very useful in 14 patients in whom metastatic foci were embedded in fibrotic tissues or located behind blood vessels, useful in 22 patients, moderately useful 17 patients and not useful in 5 patients.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that a (99m)Tc-sestamibi intra-operative gamma probe can be used to identify and guide resection of recurrent loco-regional tumour in DTC patients with (131)I-negative loco-regional metastatic foci.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure with patent V blue dye in 153 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC): is it an accurate staging method?

The present study aims to evaluate the accuracy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping performed by intratumoral injection of blue dye in a large series of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). 153 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. All patients had a preoperative cytological diagnosis of PTC, and none had clinical or ultrasonographic (US) evidence of nodal involvement. At surgery, vital patent V blue dye was injected into the malignant thyroid nodule. Subsequently, total thyroidectomy, central compartment (CC) node dissection, and median inferior jugulocarotid node dissection of laterocervical compartment, ipsilateral to the primary tumour, were performed. The excised thyroid, the blue-positive SLN and blue-negative lymph nodes were sent for frozen section and definitive histophatologic analysis. At surgery, blue-positive SLN were found in 107/153 patients (69.9%), of whom 36 (33.6%) had micrometastasis in SLN; moreover, in 13 of these 36 patients (36.1%), other nodes were found to be metastatic. In the remaining 71/107 blue-positive SLN patients, both the SLN itself and the other removed nodes were found negative for the presence of metastatic disease. In 4 cases, a normal parathyroid gland and in 3 cases fibro-adipous tissue were blue-stained and mistakenly removed as SLN (7 false positive results). On the other hand, SLN was blue-negative in 46/153 patients (30.1%), of whom 7 patients (15.2%) had micrometastases in blue-negative lymph nodes. On the basis of these data, the blue dye procedure for SLN detection appears inappropriate as a standard of care in PTC due to a relatively high number of false negative and false positive results.

Natural history, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of medullary thyroid cancer: 37 years experience on 157 patients

AIM

The analysis of a 37-year retrospective study on diagnosis, prognostic variables, treatment and outcome of a large group of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) patients was conducted, in order to plan a possible evidence-based management process.

METHODS

Between Jan 1967 to Dec 2004, 157 consecutive MTC patients underwent surgery in our centre: 60 males and 97 females, mean age 47.3 years (range 6-79). Total thyroidectomy was performed in 143 patients (91.1%); central compartment (CC) node dissection (level VI) in 41 patients; central plus lateral compartment (LC) node dissection (levels II, III, and IV) in 82 patients. Subtotal thyroidectomy was initially performed in 14 cases: 10 of them were re-operated because of persistence of elevated serum calcitonin levels.

RESULTS

After a median post-surgical follow-up of 68 months (range 2-440 months), 42.9% of patients were living disease-free, 39.8% were living with disease, 3.1% were deceased due to causes different from MTC, and 3.2% were deceased due to MTC. The overall 10-year survival rate was 72%. At uni-variate statistical analysis (a) patient's age at initial treatment (>45 years; >/=45 years), (b) sporadic vs. hereditary MTC, (c) disease stage, and (d) the extent of surgical approach resulted as significant variables. Instead, at multivariate statistical analysis, only (a) patient's age at initial diagnosis, (b) disease stage, and (c) the extent of surgery resulted as significant and independent prognostic variables influencing survival.

CONCLUSION

The presence of lymph node and distant metastases at first diagnosis significantly worsened prognosis and survival rate in our series. Early diagnosis of MTC is very important, allowing complete surgical cure in Stages I and II patients. Due to the relatively bad prognosis of MTC, especially for disease Stages III and IV, it appears reasonable to recommend radical surgery including total thyroidectomy plus CC lymphoadenectomy as the treatment of choice, plus LC lymphoadenectomy in patients with palpable and/or ultrasound enlarged neck lymph nodes.

Sentinel node mapping and biopsy in thyroid cancer: a surgical perspective

The clinical role of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in thyroid cancer remains an open matter in literature. The main reason of this fact is that nodal disease is considered a non-relevant prognostic factor by some authors in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of radiocolloid lymphoscintigraphy and of hand held gamma probe procedure for SNB in patients with DTC and its potential clinical role. Forty-one consecutive pts with a small thyroid nodule highly suspected for malignancy at fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and without clinical and ultrasonographic (US) evidence of lymph node involvement entered the study. All patients underwent lymphoscintigraphy 3 hours before intervention using a 99mTc-nanocolloid solution. One single intratumoral injection of 4-9 MBq in 0.1-02 ml normal saline was obtained under US-guidance followed by a dynamic lymphoscintigraphy. After total thyroidectomy central and lateral compartments of the neck were scanned with a hand held gamma probe. The hottest node and any lymph node with a count rate of more than 10% of the hottest node were removed. SLNs were sent to frozen section analysis and a surgical enlargement of corresponding compartment was performed when at least one SLN was positive at histology. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was able to identify one node in six cases, two nodes in five cases, three nodes in 14 cases, four or more nodes in 16 cases. A papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was diagnosed in 39 cases, a mixed papillary-medullary carcinoma in one case and a micro-follicular adenoma in one case. In 21/40 patients (pts) positive lymph nodes were found: in 16/21 patient one node showed micrometastasis only, in 5/21 patients more nodes were metastatic. In particular in 11 cases the first hottest node was involved (true SLN), in 10 cases a second or third hot lymph node was involved. In our preliminary experience lymphoscintigraphy with 99mTc-nanocolloid resulted highly sensitive: in fact at least one lymph node was visualized in all cases and the surgeon was able to detect by means of hand held probe during intervention al least one hot SLN in all cases. In 21/40 pts (more than 50% of cases) metastatic lymph nodes were found despite preoperative clinical and US examination negative for lymph node involvement. In prospective SLN technique might be proposed as a relevant tool in lymphoadenectomy decision in DTC patients with a small tumor.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC): prognostic factors, management and outcome in 403 patients

AIM

To investigate an "optimal" therapeutic management of patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).

METHODS

We evaluated a group of 403 consecutive patients affected by PTMC operated on by the same surgeon. Prognostic factors were evaluated by uni- and multivariate statistical analysis.

RESULTS

After a mean follow-up of 8.5 years, 372 patients were living without disease (undetectable serum thyroglobulin levels), 24 patients were living with disease (increased serum thyroglobulin levels), 6 patients were deceased due to causes different from thyroid cancer, and 1 patient was deceased due to metastatic thyroid cancer. No statistically significant prognostic factor was found at uni- and multivariate analysis. However, it is worth noting that in patients with a larger primary tumour (size> or =5mm) and treated by partial thyroidectomy alone, the prevalence of recurrent disease was higher than in patients treated by total thyroidectomy and (131)I administration.

CONCLUSION

It appears reasonable to perform total thyroidectomy (possibly associated with central compartment node dissection), (131)I whole body scan (followed by (131)I therapy when necessary) and TSH-suppressive hormonal therapy in patients with PTMC.

[Sentinel lymph node procedure in thyroid carcinoma patients. Our experience]

AIM

How far to extend surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still an open question. A contribution may derive from intraoperative lymphatic mapping because, in other malignancies, the procedure has become an important aid in defining lymph node status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping performed by intratumoural injection of vital blue dye to guide nodal dissection in PTC.

METHODS

One hundred and ten patients were selected for the study, all of them had a preoperative diagnosis of PTC, but no clinical or ultrasonographic evidence of nodal involvement. Following cervicotomy and exposition of the thyroid gland, vital blue dye was injected into the malignant thyroid nodule. Subsequently, total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection were carried out, and the thyroid, the SLN(s) and the other lymph nodes were sent for frozen section and definitive histologic evaluation.

RESULTS

Intraoperative lymphatic mapping located sentinel lymph nodes in 74 cases (67.3%); the SLN was detected in the laterocervical compartment (LC) in 4 cases (5.4%), with the ''sick'' of the CC. In 23 of these 74 patients (31.1%) the SLN(s) were positive for micro-metastases and in 15 cases (65.2%) both the SLN and other resected nodes were found positive. In the 51 cases in whom the SLN was disease-free, the other nodes were also negative. Of the 36 cases in whom the SLN was not detected, in 4 cases (11.1%) a parathyroid gland was stained and in 1 case (2.8%) fibroadipous tissue was stained. To date, of the 23 patients with positive-SLN 22 patients are living without disease (95.6%), 1 patient is living with disease (4.4%); all patients with negative SLN are living without disease; of the 36 patients without staining of the SLN, 35 are living without disease (97.2%) and 1 patient is deceased for reasons different from PTC (2.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of this study, we underline some disadvantages in using Blue Patent V dye in SLN biopsy procedure as: a) the risk of disruption and interruption of the lymphatics from the tumour; b) blue dye uptake by a parathyroid gland which is successively mistakenly removed; c) the ''seak'' of the CC that doesn't permit to disclose SLN that lies outside the central compartment.

‘Low dose’ 99mTc-Sestamibi for radioguided surgery of primary hyperparathyroidism

AIM

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of low dose (99m)Tc-Sestamibi administration for radioguided parathyroid surgery in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT).

METHODS

Three hundred consecutive PHPT patients were studied between September, 1999 and July, 2003. Pre-operative work-up included (99m)Tc-pertechnetate/(99m)Tc-Sestamibi subtraction scintigraphy and high resolution ultrasonography (US). 37MBq of (99m)Tc-Sestamibi was injected i.v. in the operating suite approximately 10 min prior to the beginning of the surgical procedure for intraoperative radiolocalization; quick parathyroid hormone (QPTH) assays were performed.

RESULTS

Two hundred and seven of the 211 patients selected for minimally-invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy (MIRP) were successfully treated for a solitary parathyroid adenoma (PA) through a 2-2.5 cm skin incision (mean operative time 35 min, mean hospital stay 1.2 days). In the 89 patients selected for traditional bilateral neck exploration (BNE), radioguided surgery was not as successful in the identification of the PA, especially in patients with (99m)Tc-Sestamibi-avid thyroid nodules. Nevertheless, the combination of probe and QPTH measurement was very helpful in patients with multigland disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose (99m)Tc-Sestamibi administered few minutes before surgery is sufficient for MIRP in patients with high likelihood of a solitary PA and without concomitant (99m)Tc-Sestamibi-avid thyroid nodules. The combination of radioguided surgery and QPTH measurements is very useful in the early identification of unanticipated multigland disease.

[PTH assay in the first postoperative day after thyroidectomy early predictor postoperative hypocalcemia?]

BACKGROUND

The purpose of our study is to verify if PTH assay on the first postoperative day is a reliable early predictor of the onset of hypocalcemia.

METHODS

Between October 1999 and May 2000, a prospective trial involved 162 patients who underwent total or near total thyroidectomy at our institute. On the basis of PTH assay on first day we divided the patients in three groups: group A 28 patients with PTH < 10 pg/ml; group B 34 patients with PTH between 10 and 16 pg/ml; group C 100 patients with PTH > 16 pg/ml.

RESULTS

In group A: 22 of 28 patients (78.5%) developed postoperative hypocalcemia and 20 (71.4%) needed replacement therapy; in group B: 14 of 34 (41.1%) had postoperative hypocalcemia and 10 (29.4%) received treatment; in group C: 23 of 100 (23%) became hypocalcemic after surgery but only 5 (5%) require calcium-vitamin therapy. A statistically significant correlation (p = 0.0017) was identified between post-operative PTH levels and lowest blood calcium values detected after surgery. The correlation between the drop in blood calcium levels after surgery and postoperative PTH (delta Ca) was statistically even more significant (p = 0.0002); the lower the postoperative PTH, the higher the absolute value of the delta Ca.

CONCLUSION

The authors suggest a clinical approach and pharmacological treatment protocol based on the outcome of PTH assay on the first post-operative day; a solution that is only apparently more costly because it in fact aims to ensure a more timely recourse to blood calcium monitoring or replacement therapy and also an earlier discharge of the patient.

Importance of radio-guided minimally invasive parathyroidectomy using hand-held gamma probe and low (99m)Tc-MIBI dose. Technical considerations and long-term clinical results

AIM

(99m)Tc-MIBI radio-guided surgery results, obtained in a group of 141 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), are reported.

METHODS

All patients were preoperatively evaluated by a single day protocol based on double-tracer parathyroid scintigraphy and neck ultrasound, and then operated by the same surgical team. In 102 patients (72.3%) with a high scan/ultrasound probability of solitary parathyroid adenoma and normal thyroid gland, a minimally invasive radio-guided surgery was planned. In the other 39 patients (27.7%) with scan/ultrasound evidence of multi-glandular disease (n=8) or concomitant nodular goiter (n=31), the intraoperative gamma probe was used during a standard bilateral neck exploration. Intraoperative quick parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were routinely measured. The minimally invasive radio-guided surgery technique we developed, consisted of: a) injection of a low 37 MBq (99m)Tc-MIBI dose in the operative theatre during anaesthesia induction, b) patient's neck scan with a hand-held gamma probe just before the surgical cut to localize the cutaneous projection of the parathyroid adenoma, c) intraoperative probe detection of the parathyroid adenoma and its removal through a small 2-2.5 cm skin incision.

RESULTS

Minimally invasive radio-guided surgery was successfully performed in 99/102 patients (97.0%). The gamma probe was particularly useful in patients with an ectopic parathyroid adenoma in the upper mediastinum (n=11) or to the carotid bifurcation (n=1) or located deep in the neck (n=8). Minimally invasive radio-guided surgery was also obtained in 18/23 patients who had previously undergone thyroid/parathyroid surgery. The mean operative time for minimally invasive radio-guided surgery was 38 min. No major surgical complication was recorded. Conversion to bilateral neck exploration was required in only 3 cases because of intra-operative diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma (n=2), and persistence of elevated quick PTH levels after removal of the preoperatively visualized parathyroid adenoma (n=1). Among patients treated by standard bilateral neck exploration, the gamma probe was useful in localizing a thymical enlarged parathyroid gland in 1 patient with multi-glandular disease, a parathyroid adenoma located deep in the neck in 4 patients with concomitant nodular goiter and an ectopic parathyroid adenoma to the carotid bifurcation in another. However, in some other patients with a parathyroid adenoma located near to the thyroid, it was difficult to intraoperatively distinguish the parathyroid adenoma from a MIBI avid thyroid nodule.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that: (a) in primary HPT patients with high scan/ultrasound probability of solitary parathyroid adenoma and normal thyroid gland, the gamma probe appears to be an effective, rapid and safe technique to perform minimally invasive radio-guided surgery; b) a (99m)Tc-MIBI dose as low as 37 MBq appears to be adequate to successfully perform radio-guided surgery; c) the measurement of quick PTH is recommended during minimally invasive radio-guided surgery; d) minimally invasive radio-guided surgery can be performed also in HPT patients with previous parathyroid/thyroid surgery thus limiting surgical trauma; e) with the possible exception of parathyroid adenoma located in ectopic sites or deep in the neck, the gamma probe technique does not seem recommendable in HPT patients with concomitant nodular goiter.

[Radio-guided surgery in primary hyperparathyroidism: clinical indications and technical procedure]

AIM

The purpose of the present study was to assess the utility of the intraoperative gamma probe technique in a group of 128 patients suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism (PH).

METHODS

In view of surgery, these patients were homogeneously subjected to a diagnostic protocol comprising double tracer scintigraphy ((99mTc)-Pertecnetate/(99mTc)-MIBI) and neck echotomography, carried out in a single session. They were then all operated on by the same surgical team.

RESULTS

In 97 patients with scintigraphic and echographic evidence of single parathyroid enlargement and normal thyroid gland, mini-invasive radio-guided surgery (MRS) was planned. In 94 of these 97 patients (96%) MRS was carried out successfully by removal of a single parathyroid adenoma (PA) through a small cutaneous incision of 2-2.5 cm; in the remaining 3/97 patients (3.1%), it proved necessary to convert to bilateral surgical exploration of the neck following intraoperative diagnosis of a parathyroid carcinoma in 2 cases and of multiglandular pathology (MGP) suggested by the persistence of elevated values of intraoperative parathormone (PTH) in 1 case. It should be pointed out that the use of IGP enabled us to carry out limited surgical exploration in 18 of 23 patients who had previously undergone operation on the thyroid and/or parathyroids. In a second group of 31 patients with presumed preoperative diagnosis of MGP (5 cases) or nodular goitre concomitant with PH (26 cases), IGP was used in the course of standard bilateral surgical exploration of the neck and enabled us to locate: an ectopic parathyroid gland in the thymus in 1 case of MGP, a PA in the deep levels of the neck in 2 cases with goitre and an ectopic PA at the bifurcation of the carotid in 1 other case with goitre. It should however be specified that in certain other patients with goitre it proved difficult intraoperatively to distinguish thyroid nodes from a PA adhering to the thyroid.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the data to emerge from the present study we can conclude that: 1) in patients with PH presenting a scintigraphic and echographic picture indicating single PA and normal thyroid with high probability, the IGP technique proves effective in carrying out an MRS; 2) 37 MBq of (99mTc)-MIBI are an adequate dose for the correct performance of MRS; 3) a rapid intraoperative dose of PTH is to be recommended so as to confirm complete removal of the hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue; 4) MRS may be employed successfully also in those patients previously subjected to thyroid or parathyroid surgery for the purpose of limiting the surgical trauma connected to reintervention and, therefore, to reducing the risk of complications; 5) IGP would not appear to be recommendable in patients with PH and concomitant goitre, with the possible exception of ectopic PA.

Laparoscopic versus open adrenalectomy: outcome in 35 consecutive patients

BACKGROUND

The use of minimally invasive techniques in the surgical treatment of adrenal masses has been used to remove a wide variety of adrenal tumors.

AIMS

We have reviewed our experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy and compared laparoscopic vs. open surgical approach.

METHODS

The outcome of 35 consecutive patients who underwent adrenalectomy over a 3-year period has been analyzed retrospectively. Differences in operating time, blood loss, period of hospitalization, use of parenteral analgesia, resumption of oral feeding, complications, and time to return to normal activity after 18 coelioscopic vs. 17 open consecutive adrenalectomies have been considered.

RESULTS

The average operative time was longer (mean 160 vs. 148 min, p = 0.48) and postoperative complications lower (4 vs. 5 cases, p =0.73), although not statistically significant, for the laparoscopic compared to the open surgical approach, whereas blood loss (30 vs. 165 ml; p = 0.01), postoperative analgesia (3.4 vs. 5.0 days, p = 0.02), time to restart oral feeding (3.0 vs. 4.7 days, p = 0.001), average time of hospitalization (4.5 vs. 9.6 days, p = 0.001), time to return to normal activity (21 vs. 37 days, p = 0.001) were all statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy can be considered the method of choice for managing almost all adrenal masses, because of its lower morbidity and shorter postoperative recovery.

[Reoperation of medullary thyroid carcinoma: long-term results]

STUDY AIM

The impact of iterative surgery in medullary thyroid carcinoma is still debated. The study aim was to evaluate long-term results following reoperation for residual or recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Among the 136 patients operated on in our centre for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) between 1970 and 2000, 25 patients (10 men and 15 women) were reoperated on for locoregional residual or recurrent lesions. Their mean age was 46 years (range: 19-73 years). The MTC was sporadic in 21 patients and familial in 4: NEM 2A (n = 3), NEM 2B (n = 1). In 11 patients (44%) operated in another centre, the first procedure was a total thyroidectomy; in 2 patients (8%) a total thyroidectomy with central lymphadenectomy was performed, and in 12 patients (48%) a total thyroidectomy with central and jugulo-carotid lymphadenectomy. After the first operation, 6 patients (24%) were classified stage II, 15 (60%) stage III and 4 (16%) stage IV. Basal and post-stimulation calcitonin dosages were performed for all the patients before and after reoperation.

RESULTS

Thirty three reoperations were performed. In 24 cases, the recurrence was located in the laterocervical site; in 5 cases, the lymph node involvement was both central and laterocervical, in 2 cases, there was a mediastinal involvement and in 2 cases a spinal involvement. After reoperation, the calcitonin rate became normal in 4 patients (16%); in the other 21 (84%), the calcitonin rate was still high. With a mean 110 month--follow-up (range: 320-12 months), 4 patients (16%) were alive without disease, 2 (8%) died of their disease, 19 (76%) were alive with their disease, five of them with hypercalcitonemia without detectable metastasis. In addition to patients having metastasis at the time of reoperation, seven developed metastases secondarily (liver, bone, lung).

CONCLUSION

Biological cure of medullary thyroid carcinoma is rarely obtained with reoperation. Reoperations may reduce progression of the disease in selected patients. Complete removal of the lesions at the time of the first procedure must be the ideal treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Ectopic parathyroid adenomas located at the carotid bifurcation: the role of preoperative Tc-99m MIBI scintigraphy and the intraoperative gamma probe procedure in surgical treatment planning

PURPOSE

The prevalence of ectopic parathyroid adenoma (PA) is relatively low, despite some studies in which it has been reported to be as high as 20%. Ectopic PA is a frequent cause of surgical failure, and therefore some authors recommend preoperative imaging to localize the condition in patients with primary hyperparathyroid (HPT) disease before initial surgery.

METHODS

Two unusual cases of primary HPT caused by an ectopic PA located at the carotid bifurcation are reported. The patients were examined before operation using Tc-99m MIBI scintigraphy and then underwent radioguided surgery using the intraoperative gamma probe technique with injection of a low dose (37 MBq; 1 mCi) of Tc-99m MIBI.

RESULTS

The first patient had a history of primary HPT and coexisting multinodular goiter. She had undergone total thyroidectomy in another center, but no enlarged parathyroid gland was found at bilateral neck exploration and serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels remained elevated after intervention. The patient was referred to our center. A Tc-99m MIBI scan showed a focus of abnormal tracer uptake in the superior left laterocervical region that was thought to be a PA. The next day she underwent radioguided surgery and an 18-mm PA located at the left carotid bifurcation was easily removed through a 2.5-cm skin incision. The second patient was examined in our center before surgery. A neck ultrasound showed a multinodular goiter but no enlarged parathyroid glands. A pertechnectate-MIBI subtraction scan revealed a focus of abnormal Tc-99m MIBI uptake in the right superior laterocervical region that was thought to be a PA. One week later, at radioguided surgery, a 25-mm PA was identified at the right carotid bifurcation and removed successfully.

CONCLUSIONS

These data strongly support the utility of preoperative imaging with Tc-99m MIBI in patients with primary HPT before initial neck exploration with the aim of avoiding surgical failure. Furthermore, the intraoperative gamma probe technique seems to be useful to reduce surgical trauma and, possibly, complications in patients with ectopic PA.

[Prevention and treatment of intra- and post-operative complications in thyroid surgery]

Frequency of complications in thyroid surgery is evaluated in a series of patients treated during a recent period lasting one year (1997). The records of 455 patients consecutively operated on were analyzed: 396 patients were affected by benign disorders and 59 by thyroid carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy was performed in 158 cases, near subtotal thyroidectomy in 94, thyroid totalization for recurrent disease in 21 and lobectomy in 182 ones. Post-operative haemorrhage, such to require surgical re-exploration of the thyroid bed, occurred in 2 patients (0.4%), both after total thyroidectomy for hyperfunctioning goiter. Recurrent laryngeal lesion has been observed in 2 patients (0.4% of all patients), both after total thyroidectomy for cervico-mediastinal goiter. Transient hypoparathyroidism occurred in 48 patients (10.5%), while definitive one in 9 (1.9%), of which 5 after total thyroidectomy, 2 after subtotal thyroidectomy and 2 after reoperation. Haemorrhage nearly always occurs in the first postoperative hours and gravity is conditioned by tracheal compression exercised by the haematoma. An aspirative drainage located in thyroid bed and a not hermetic closure of the middle line help a precocious diagnosis and sometimes avoid a surgical re-exploration. Some technical surgical devices permit to reduce the risk of inferior laryngeal nerve palsy. Hypoparathyroidism, often transient, is a complication of bilateral thyroid surgery, but unavoidable when more extensive thyroid surgery is required.

Technique and results of laparoscopic adrenalectomy

The aim of this report is to evaluate the benefits of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in terms of perioperative morbidity, complications and patients recuperation. We reviewed our experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy in 47 consecutive patients who underwent adrenalectomy over a 4-year period. We used the lateral transperitoneal approach in all cases. The indications for adrenalectomy were Conn's adenoma in 24 patients, pheochromocytoma in 11, Cushing's syndrome in 3 and incidental adrenal tumour in 9. The average duration of surgery was 130 min (range, 60-300 min) and average adrenal gland size was 3.4 cm (range, 1.2-8 cm). Conversion from laparoscopy to laparotomy was necessary in three patients (6.4%), and postoperative complications occurred in two patients. There was no mortality. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy can be considered the method of choice for managing almost all adrenal masses, because of its low morbidity and short postoperative recovery. The main difficulty is to identify the adrenal gland, so several technical procedures are suggested.

The sentinel node procedure with Patent Blue V dye in the surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma

How far to extend the surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still an open question. A contribution may come from intra-operative lymphatic mapping because, in other malignancies, the procedure has become an important aid in defining lymph node status. To assess the feasibility of using the sentinel lymph node (SLN) technique with the intratumoral injection of Patent Blue V dye to guide nodal dissection in PTC, 29 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of PTC and no clinical or ultrasonographic evidence of nodal involvement underwent cervicotomy and exposure of the thyroid gland, followed by Patent Blue V dye injection into the thyroid nodule. Total thyroidectomy was subsequently performed, resecting the lymph nodes at levels III, IV, VI and VII. The thyroid, SLN and the other lymph nodes were snap-frozen and submitted for both intra-operative and subsequent definitive pathological evaluation. Intra-operative lymphatic mapping located the SLN in 22/29 patients (75.9%) and the SLN revealed neoplastic involvement in 4/22 (18.2%); other lymph nodes were also positive in 2 cases. In the 18 patients whose SLNs were not metastatic, the other nodes were also disease-free. The SLN technique thus seems helpful in avoiding unnecessary lymph node dissection in PTC without spread to the SLN.

[Radio-guided parathyroidectomy. A prospective study in 54 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism]

BACKGROUND

The contribution of nuclear-medical mapping using 99mTc-MIBI (MIBI) and the use of an intraoperative probe in primary hyperparathyroidism (I degrees HPT) surgery was evaluated prospectively in a series of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy.

METHODS

Fifty-four patients, who were operated between May 1999 and July 2000, under-went a systematic preoperative evaluation using scintigraphy with a dual tracer 99Tc04/MIBI and image subtraction, and high-resolution neck ecotomography. Surgery was performed using a mini-invasive technique through an incision measuring 2-2.5 cm at the base of the neck in 46 patients; the other 8 patients underwent open surgery with bilateral exploration of the neck. MIBI was injected intravenously in the operating theatre following the induction of anesthesia and after 32 minutes on average, radioactivity was measured using a manual gamma probe. Radioactivity was also counted intraoperatively at the tip of the lung contralateral to the pathological gland, a parameter used as the base activity (B), in the presumed seat of the hyperfunctioning parathyroid (P), in correspondence with healthy thyroid tissue (T) and any associated thyroid nodes (N). Radioactivity was also recorded at the level of the empty parathyroid compartment after removal of the corresponding gland, and on the parathyroid removed ex vivo .

RESULTS

The ratio between the three main parameters, T/B, P/B and P/T was respectively 1.6 (range=1.5 - 1.8), 2.7 (range=1.6-4.0) and 1.6 (range=1.1-2.8). In 4 cases (7.4%), the small size of the parathyroids, adjacent to thyroid nodes, meant that the parathyroid measurement of MIBI was smaller than the thyroid measurement. The histological finding was consistent with: single parathyroid adenoma in 49 cases, multiple adenomas in 3 cases, parathyroid carcinoma in 2 cases. Rapid intraoperative PTH normalised in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The significant difference in radioactivity levels recorded in the patients, showed that the technique is useful to the surgeon as a means of intraoperative assay for hyperfunctioning parathyroids, even if it cannot obviously replace experience or the value of preoperative scientigraphic and ecotomographic imaging.

[Parathyroid carcinoma. Therapeutic strategies derived from 20 years of experience]

BACKGROUND

Carcinoma of the parathyroid is a rare endocrine tumour which can be difficult to diagnose even for expert anatomopathologists.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out on all the cases of parathyroid pathology observed between January 1980 and October 2000: parathyroid carcinoma was diagnosed in 17 (3.59%) out of 478 patients treated for hyperparathyroidism. We describe their clinical presentation, treatment and results obtained. The patients included 9 women and 8 men, with a male/female ratio of 1.14 and a mean age at diagnosis of 56.9 years (range 30-83). All the patients, except one, the only non-secreting case, presented hypercalcemia, and 10 patients presented serum calcium levels above 3 mmol/L. The symptoms at onset included: nephrolithiasis in 10 cases, osteoporosis in 4 (3 of which presented uremic syndromes), gastrointestinal symptoms (gastritis) in 1 case, a palpable cervical mass in 1 patient and recurrent nerve palsy in one case suffering from familial IPT. A variety of imaging techniques were used for the preoperative localisation: high-resolution ultrasonography of the neck was carried out in all 17 patients and was positive in 15 cases; scintigraphy (99mTcO4/201Tl or 99mO4/MIBI) was carried out in 16 patients and was positive in 14; CAT was positive in 6 out of 17 patients. Three patients underwent the first operation in another hospital and were referred to our department for resistance or recidive. Initial surgery was restricted to simple parathyroidectomy in 4 cases; parathyroidectomy was extended to the entire gland in 3 patients with uremic syndrome and to the ipsilateral thyroid lobe in 7 cases. Three patients underwent parathyroidectomy extended en bloc to the adjacent structures, and recurrent lymph node dissection was also performed in 2 of these patients. Lymph node involvement was never demonstrated during the first operation. The dimensions of the tumour varied from 1 to 6.7 cm; we found signs of invasion of the neighbouring structures in 3 patients.

RESULTS

Parathyroid carcinoma was correctly diagnosed during the first operation in 14 cases (this diagnosis was suspected in 10 cases following intraoperative frozen session), whereas the first diagnosis was of benign disease in 3 patients. Blood levels of calcium, phosphorus and PTH returned to normal after the first operation in 13 patients. These values diminished, but did not return to normal in 2 cases. Two patients relapsed, respectively 5 and 175 months after the first operation. A total of 10 reoperations were performed in 4 patients with persistent/recurrent symptoms (from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 4). Recidive presented characteristics of local invasiveness in one case and the persistence was supported by micro-insemination of the pre-thyroid compartment and muscles in another two cases. At reoperation, lymph node metastasis was associated with local recidive only in one case. Two patients underwent radiotherapy after surgery and one received chemotherapy. At the last check-up (October 2000), 14 patients were alive and disease-free (82.25%). Two presented slight persistent hypercalcemia (with values ranging between 2.65 and 2.80 mmol/L), but without any macroscopic localisation of disease (11.76%). Only 1 patient died (5.88%) (one year after the first operation and 7 months after the last one). Death was caused by uncontrollable hypercalcemia supported by widespread metastasis to the bones and lungs. The 5 and 10-year survival rates were calculated as 94.12%.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, high blood levels of calcium and PTH, a palpable mass at the neck, with recurrent nerve paralysis, aspects of local invasiveness should alert the surgeon and guide him towards surgery that includes resection of the parathyroid en bloc with the adjacent structures, although there is no proof that a more extensive surgery is correlated with a more favourable prognosis. Being the majority of recidive functional, monitoring serum calcium and PTH levels offers a useful market which precedes their macroscopic demonstration.

99mTc-MIBI radio-guided minimally invasive parathyroid surgery planned on the basis of a preoperative combined 99mTc-pertechnetate/99mTc-MIBI and ultrasound imaging protocol

The aims of this study were: (a) to define the accuracy of a preoperative parathyroid imaging protocol based on the combination of technetium-99m pertechnetate/technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTcO4/ 99mTc-MIBI) scan and neck ultrasound (US) in selecting patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) eligible for a limited neck exploration, and (b) to investigate the potential role of the intraoperative gamma probe (IGP) in radio-guided minimally invasive surgery. 99mTcO4/99mTc-MIBI subtraction scan was performed by means of potassium perchlorate administration with the aim of effecting rapid 99mTcO4 wash-out from the thyroid. Minimally invasive surgery using an IGP was commenced some minutes following the injection of a low, 70 MBq, 99mTc-MIBI dose. Intraoperative PTH (i-PTH) was measured. On the basis of preoperative imaging, 21 pHPT consecutive patients were selected for a limited neck dissection. In 18 of them, a single parathyroid adenoma was found at surgery and IGP allowed performance of parathyroidectomy through a small, 2-2.5 cm, skin incision with a relatively short surgical duration (mean 38 min). i-PTH rapidly normalised in all cases. In two patients, a parathyroid carcinoma was diagnosed at surgery; consequently, a wide neck exploration associated with a near-total thyroidectomy was performed. No loco-regional metastatic lesions were found and i-PTH rapidly normalised after carcinoma excision. In one patient, i-PTH remained elevated after removal of the enlarged parathyroid gland which was localised by 99mTcO4/99mTc-MIBI scan and US. A bilateral exploration was needed to remove a contralateral enlarged parathyroid gland. Combined, 99mTcO4/99mTc-MIBI scan and US imaging correctly localised a single parathyroid gland in 20/21 patients (95.2%); thus, this protocol appears to be accurate enough for the preoperative selection of pHPT patients eligible for limited neck surgery. Moreover, in these selected patients the IGP seems to be helpful in performing radio-guided minimally invasive surgery.

Preoperative assessment of thyroid nodules: the surgeon's point of view

A selective approach to patients with thyroid nodules, in order to differentiate between negative findings and uncertain or positive results requiring surgery, has been outlined. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most reliable and cost-effective technique currently available to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid disease. In those lesions diagnosed by FNAB as 'follicular lesions', radionuclide scanning, serum calcitonin and CEA determination, color doppler ultrasonography and the response to TSH suppressive therapy may be of assistance. Despite such screening procedures, the majority of follicular lesions remain indeterminate, and surgery is therefore necessary before a correct diagnosis can be made.

99mTc-MIBI Radioguided Surgery for Limited Invasive Parathyroidectomy

We report the preliminary results obtained with the intraoperative MIBI-guided gamma probe in a group of 9 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). These patients were selected for limited invasive parathyroid surgery on the basis of a preoperative imaging protocol consisting of a pertechnetate & perchlorate/MIBI scan combined with neck ultrasonography (US). In the operating room 50–70 MBq MIBI was injected 30 to 45 min before parathyroidectomy. The radioactivity was measured intraoperatively at three sites: parathyroid (P), thyroid (T), and background (B). The P/B, P/T, and T/B ratios were calculated. The T/B ratio was relatively constant (range, 1.5–1.8; mean, 1.6), while a wide variability was observed both for P/T ratio (range, 1.2–2.3; mean, 1.7) and P/B ratio (range, 2.1–4.0; mean, 2.9). At surgery single enlarged parathyroid glands were easily identified by means of intraoperative MIBI-guided gamma probe. Moreover, the gamma probe allowed us to perform a limited 2–2.5 cm neck incision in eight patients affected by parathyroid adenoma. In the remaining patient a parathyroid carcinoma was diagnosed and a bilateral neck exploration was performed. The intraoperative MIBI gamma probe seems to be a useful aid when limited invasive parathyroid surgery is performed.

Parathyroid imaging with pertechnetate plus perchlorate/MIBI subtraction scintigraphy: a fast and effective technique

We set up a modified technetium-99m (Tc-99m) pertechnetate/Tc-99m MIBI (Tc-MIBI) subtraction scintigraphy for parathyroid imaging by introducing the use of potassium perchlorate (KCLO4). Initially, the effect of KCLO4 on technetium thyroid wash-out was evaluated in five healthy volunteers: 40-minute dynamic studies of the thyroid were obtained 20 minutes after the injection of technetium 150 MBq (4 mCi), both in baseline conditions and after the oral administration of 400 mg KCLO4. After an average latency time of 10.5 minutes, KCLO4 administration resulted in fast and relevant technetium thyroid wash-out with a mean half-time of 16.2 minutes (the half-time was 142.8 minutes in baseline conditions), and a 40-minute reduction of thyroid activity of 78% (it was 14% in baseline conditions). Based on these findings, a new Tc-MIBI subtraction procedure was established as follows: 1) 150 MBq technetium (4 mCi) injection; 2) 400 mg KCLO4 administered orally; 3) patient neck immobilization; 4) acquisition of a 5-minute technetium thyroid scan; 5) 500 MBq MIBI (13.5 mCi) injection; 6) acquisition of a sequence of seven MIBI images, each lasting 5 minutes; and 7) processing (image realignment when necessary, background subtraction, normalization of MIBI images to the maximum pixel count of the technetium image, and subtraction of the technetium image from the MIBI images). In addition, high-resolution neck ultrasound (US) was performed in all cases on the same day as the scintigraphic evaluation. Eighteen consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were enrolled in the study. Tc-MIBI scintigraphy revealed a single adenoma in all cases and US showed this finding in 15 of 18 cases (83.3%). Furthermore, in three patients, a thyroid nodule associated with hyperparathyroidism was detected by technetium thyroid scans and neck US. In all patients, the parathyroid adenoma was easily identified on both the 20- to 40-minute MIBI and subtracted (MIBI-Tc) images. Regarding the scintigraphic parameters, no difference was found between parathyroid adenomas located in the region of the thyroid bed or in ectopic sites and in parathyroid adenomas with a retrothyroid location. Surgical findings confirmed the presence of a single parathyroid adenoma in all cases. In the three patients with a concomitant thyroid nodule, thyroid lobectomy was performed. These preliminary data suggest that 1) double-tracer subtraction scintigraphy, combined with neck US, appears to be the preferable preoperative imaging procedure in hyperparathyroidism patients with concomitant thyroid nodular disease, 2) in the Tc-MIBI parathyroid scan, the use of KCLO4 results in a rapid and relevant technetium thyroid clearance, improving the quality of MIBI images and making the visualization of parathyroid adenomas, particularly those located behind the thyroid gland, easier.

[Hypoparathyroidism after thyroidectomy. Analysis of a consecutive, recent series]

We analyzed a recent and consecutive series of 254 thyroidectomies performed during the last year to verify the incidence of post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism. 249 patients were included in the study and were divided into 2 groups according to the extension of the thyroidectomy. In the first group of 49 patients treated by lobectomy no one developed hypoparathyroidism. In the second group of 200 patients, of which 53 were treated by subtotal and 147 by total thyroidectomy, postoperative hypoparathyroidism was found in 28 (14%) patients, but it was persistent (lasting six months or longer) in 8 (4%). Global incidence of postoperative hypoparathyroidism was statistically higher in total thyroidectomy vs subtotal thyroidectomy (17% vs 5.66%; p < 0.05); however persistent hypoparathyroidism incidence wasn't statistically higher in total thyroidectomy (5.4% vs 0%; p = n.s.). As far as thyroid disorders that require bilateral thyroidectomy Chi 2-test showed a trend of persistent hypoparathyroidism to be more frequent in patients operated on for Graves' disease and thyroid cancer than in other thyroid disorders.

[A case of forgotten giant goiter]

The forgotten goiter is most often the consequence of the incomplete removal of a "plunging" goiter, but it can sometimes be attributed to a concomitant, unrecognised mediastinal goiter which is not connected to the thyroid. Differential diagnosis must be made with other mediastinal masses and with plunging relapses of a previously operated struma. Radiological analysis of persisting mediastinal involvement before and immediately after surgery is the only decisive means of diagnosis, but this is not always available in practice. In this paper the authors report a case of considerable size observed in a series of 346 mediastinal goiters operated between 1967 and 1994. They examine the pathogenetic aspects and the nosological, diagnostic and therapeutic problems related to forgotten goiter, and lastly they list the recommendations that several surgeons have made in an attempt to reduce the incidence. In conclusion, the systematic use of CAT or NMR in the diagnosis of mediastinal opacity may help to reduce the risk of forgetting glandular residue in the mediastinum.

[Cancer in multinodular goiter]

Multinodular goitre is a very common, and commonly benign, thyroid disorder; however variable and sometimes surprisingly high occurrence of malignancy has been reported in surgical series. In this connection we retrospectively analyzed a large consecutive series of 539 thyroidectomies performed for M.N.G. over a short period of time of 3 years: there were 455 female and 84 male patients, of whom 522 over and 17 under 21 years of age. It was found an overall incidence of carcinoma of 7.5% (90.2% of papillary type), with prevalence in female (8.3%) vs male sex (3.6%) and in patients under (11.7%) vs over (7.5%) the age of 21 years; differences for sex and age were not significant. We remark that present revision left out of consideration other known factors predisposing to cancer, and included occult papillary carcinomas that are a frequent autoptic finding and do not affect life expectancy. Surgical selection, in addition to these circumstances, concurred to distort, making higher than true, the incidence of cancer in M.N.G. We conclude that M.N.G. cannot be considered as a condition predisposing to cancer but it may harbour a cancer; since that selective surgical approach is recommenced. Selection criteria for surgery and treatment are mentioned.

[Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia and ligation of the inferior thyroid artery trunk]

The effect of bilateral truncal ligation of the inferior thyroid artery on parathyroid function is prospectively analyzed in two homogeneous groups of 10 patients treated by total thyroidectomy, with (G1) and without (G2) truncal ligation, comparing immediately postoperative and late serum calcium levels. A significant decrease in mean calcemic levels (minimal ones 2.1, with n.v. 2.1-2.6 mmol/l) was observed in both groups no longer than in the first postoperative days. There was no significant difference in global (clinical + laboratory) hypocalcemia rate (G1 = 0-30% vs G2 = 10-40% respectively); nevertheless hypocalcemia was noted paradoxically to occur more frequently in G-2 patients, out of which one developed a permanent hypoparathyroidism.

[Medullary thyroid carcinoma: prognostic factors]

Fifty-one patients treated by total thyroidectomy plus nodal neck dissection of necessity for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) with a minimum follow-up of 10 years (mean 14.5, max 22 years) were divided into three groups according to the outcome (alive disease-free; alive with disease; dead) and were compared in order to analyze the prognostic factors of MTC. Twenty years actuarial survival rate for age at diagnosis less than 50 years versus age over 50 (90% vs 45%) as well as for stage II versus stage III (85% vs 55%) was statistically different (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05 respectively). About 60% of recurrences were observed within 5 years after surgical treatment. Recurrence rate for stage III (70%) versus stage II (20%) was statistically different, but it was not for the age. Survival rate for patients with bony metastases (50% at 1 and 30% at 3 years) versus patients with other than bony metastases (100% at 10 years) was statistically different.

Necrosis of a phaeochromocytoma associated with spontaneous remission of diabetes and hypertension

The diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma is sometimes difficult since its clinical presentation is quite variable. We report a 52-year-old woman who presented with acute diabetes mellitus and severe hypertension, which spontaneously disappeared. MIBG-scintigraphy and urine and plasma catecholamines were normal. At surgery, a largely necrotic phaeochromocytoma was found. Pathological examination demonstrated extensive avascular necrosis, which had occurred spontaneously without any major symptoms.

TSH-receptor antibody (TSH-R Ab) variations in patients undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease: a prospective study

Variations in circulating TSH-R Ab were correlated to the thyroid function outcome in a group of 43 patients who received subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease. There were 36 females and 7 males, ranging in age from 18 to 63 years (mean +/- SD = 41.3 +/- 9.5 years). All patients were operated on by the same surgeon, with the same surgical technique, leaving a remnant of 4-5 grams of thyroid. When a condition of subclinical hypothyroidism was found after surgery, thyroid function was tested again within 2-3 months. Thus, in cases with persisting elevated TSH levels, L-thyroxine was administered. During follow-up a progressive decrease in the prevalence of euthyroid patients was documented (51.2% at 3 months, 30.2% at 2 years, 28% at 4 years), with a parallel increase in cases of subclinical and overt hypothyroidism. Two patients with persisting detectable TSH-R Abs showed recurrent disease within 2 years after surgery. No case of relapse was observed among patients who became TSH-R Ab negative. TSH-R Abs remained detectable in 68% of euthyroid and in 63.6% of subclinical hypothyroid patients before L-thyroxine administration, whereas TSH-R Abs remained positive in only 30% of patients with overt hypothyroidism, and became undetectable in most patients with subclinical hypothyroidism after L-thyroxine was begun. The persistence of TSH-R Abs in patients who have undergone surgery for Graves' disease should be considered a risk condition for relapse. These patients must be carefully followed-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pregnancy after high therapeutic doses of iodine-131 in differentiated thyroid cancer: potential risks and recommendations

Seventy female patients who had been treated with high doses of iodine-131 for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and who had a subsequent pregnancy were evaluated. The total 131I dose ranged from 1.85 to 16.55 GBq (mean +/- SD = 4.39 +/- 25.20 GBq). Age at first therapy ranged from 15 to 36 years (mean +/- SD = 24.3 +/- 5.0 years) and the interval from 131I therapy to pregnancy varied from 2 to 10 years (mean +/- SD = 5.3 +/- 2.8 years). The estimated radiation dose to the gonads ranged from 10 to 63 cGy (mean +/- SD = 24.0 +/- 13.5 cGy). All patients were treated with L-thyroxine at doses capable of suppressing thyroid-stimulating hormone. Seventy-three children were followed-up and seven pregnancies are still in progress. One child was affected by Fallot's trilogy and three had a low birth weight through with subsequent normal growth; the others were healthy with subsequent normal growth. No newborn with clinical or biochemical thyroid dysfunctions was found. Two spontaneous abortions during the second month of pregnancy were recorded. One of two patients in question subsequently had two healthy children. On the basis of these data, previous administration of high 131I doses does not appear to be a valid reason for dissuading young female DTC patients from considering pregnancy. However, patients should be advised to avoid pregnancy after 131I administration for a period sufficient to ensure complete elimination of the radionuclide and to permit confirmation of complete disease remission, i.e. at least 1 year in our opinion.

Metastatic thyroid carcinoma of the adrenal gland

Follicular thyroid carcinoma may spread distant metastases in sites such as bone, lung and brain. In our series of 448 patients with follicular thyroid carcinoma, distant metastases were present in 25% of cases. We report here a case of follicular thyroid carcinoma with a single metastasis at the right adrenal gland, that was found 12 years after total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy. Chest X ray, neck and liver echography and total body scan (TBS), performed after radioiodine therapy, were negative. During hormone therapy, serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels were less than 1 ng/ml until 1990, and then Tg progressively increased in eighteen months up to 149 ng/ml. A new TBS was negative. At computer tomography a node at the right adrenal gland was found. The patient underwent adrenalectomy and histology showed a metastatic follicular thyroid cancer with Hurthle cells. After 1 and 5 months from surgery Tg serum levels were 0.9 ng/ml. This case shows once again the importance of Tg serum levels during follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer.

[Surgical emergency in thyroid disease: acute respiratory failure caused by tracheal obstruction]

Diagnostic and therapeutic approach to emergency due to acute and severe respiratory compromise by thyroid goiters with tracheal obstruction is discussed. Such an alarming condition was observed in 5 (2.3%) out of 215 mediastinal goiters operated between 1967-91. Retrospective and critical analysis of these cases pointed out that preventive removal of a large goiter is the best prophylaxis; first management is not surgical, although urgent features. Admission to intensive care center and endotracheal intubation allow an adequate interpretation of the pathologic condition and operative troubles and risks. Diagnostic investigations, effective and kept to a minimum (chest x-ray, tracheo-laryngoscopy, TAC), must be carried out without delaying thyroidectomy and prolonging intubation for days. The extraction of goiter is nearly always performable by the cervicotomic way. Whenever necessary endotracheal intubation obviates the need of tracheostomy for solving transient postoperative complications such as laryngeal oedema, local hematoma and recurrent nerves stupor.

[Somatostatin in the treatment of lymphorrhea after lateral neck dissection]

A new pharmacological effect of somatostatin has been verified in the treatment of lymphorrea due to a thoracic duct injury, produced during left lateral neck dissection. The drug (stilamin 3 mcg/kg/h in continuous venous infusion) allowed in 3 case a strongly decrease of the lymphatic loss within 24 hours and the complete depletion within 6 days. Further studies are required to clarify the dynamic effects of the drug in this complication.

[High-resolution echography of the neck. Preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastases in patients with thyroid carcinoma]

Twenty-six patients with papillary and 4 with medullary thyroid carcinoma were examined by HRUS before surgery in order to evaluate its accuracy in detecting lymph node metastasis (N) of the neck from thyroid carcinoma. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy and nodal dissection. HRUS was accurate in 73% of cases in N staging, while clinical staging was accurate in 60% of cases only. In 50% of patients HRUS provided with interesting additional information, such as disclosing lymphadenopathy in 8 patients with no clinical evidence, proving nodal involvement in 5 cases, and showing extranodal extension in 5 cases. HRUS allowed the observation of anechoic necrotic areas and microcalcified nodes. On the other hand, according to our results, HRUS cannot either discriminate metastatic from benign nodal involvement, or identify mediastinal adenopathy. False negatives are possible due to micrometastatic areas in normal size nodes. Nevertheless, HRUS proved to be a valuable aid to complete clinical examination of the neck, and a good guide for the surgeon during nodal neck dissection.