Ultrasound is not up to the job of identifying normal parathyroid glands, according to a study conducted at Inje University in South Korea and published July 15 in La Radiologia Medica, the official journal of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology.
The authors focused on 36 patients who were imaged by a radiologist using ultrasound prior to undergoing hemithyroidectomy (removal of half the thyroid gland) and had sufficient surgical data for analyzing after the operation.
They found ultrasound identified normal parathyroid glands, which regulate calcium distribution in the blood and bones, in only three patients for whom the finding was corroborated by surgical findings.
In two patients, the ultrasound results different from the surgical findings.
In some 31 of the 36 patients, ultrasound did not detect a normal parathyroid gland.
With an accuracy rate of just 8.3 percent, the authors conclude, ultrasound “cannot be used for identification of normal parathyroid glands.”
The authors state that theirs is the first prospective study to investigate the detection of normal parathyroid glands and their features using real-time ultrasound.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.