Management of primary hyperthyroidism: toward minimal access surgery

MINIMALLY INVASIVE PARATHYROIDECTOMY FOR PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM

Context

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), characterized by the inappropriate secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) with respect to the extracellular calcium concentration. Curative treatment of PHPT is surgery and bilateral neck exploration has been replaced by minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP), with the advanced imaging technologies combined with radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL).

Objectives

The present study analyzes the MIP data from 45 patients who underwent surgery for parathyroid adenoma and debates if MIP is a feasible technique for the treatment of PHPT.

Design

The study presents the MIP excision data of 45 hyperparathyroidism patients with a 58-month follow up period.

Results

Forty-five operations were performed for 48 parathyroid adenomas. The mean duration of operation was 22.7 (12-55) minutes. Mean follow-up was 14.2 (6-26) months. All patients had normal postoperative calcium levels and PTH levels were normal in the follow-up period, except for one persistent hyperparathyroidism.

Conclusions

ROLL-guided MIP is a feasible technique for parathyroid surgery and reduces surgeon based failure. It also provides the widespread application of parathyroid surgery by decreasing the need for specific experience.

Minimally invasive supraomohyoid neck dissection by total endoscopic technique for oral squamous carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To study the feasibility of a total endoscopic technique for selective neck dissection in oral cancers and to compare the technique with conventional open technique with a long cervical scar.

METHODS

We included patients with early intraorally resectable squamous carcinomas and excluded patients whose primary lesion required reconstruction with microvascular flaps. We compared the following intraoperative parameters: cumulative length of the incision(s), duration of surgery, estimated blood loss, and intraoperative complications. The postoperative parameters included hospital stay, shoulder function, duration of analgesic use, and early postoperative complications. We used Shoulder Pain And Disability Index scores to assess shoulder function and assessed the oncologic outcome histopathologically by the number of nodes dissected.

RESULTS

The mean operative time for minimally invasive supraomohyoid neck dissection (MISOND) was 53.7 ± 29.8 min, which was significantly longer than 39.4 ± 5.0 min for the open technique. The estimated blood loss in the MISOND group was significantly lower compared with the open technique (p < 0.001), and there were no major intraoperative complications in either group. Postoperative recovery assessed by hospital stay and time to resume routine work was slightly shorter in the MISOND group but not statistically significant. There were no reported early postoperative complications such as haemorrhage, wound dehiscence, or chyle leakage in either group. The mean Shoulder Pain And Disability Index score assessed 2 weeks postoperatively for the MISOND group was 14.35 ± 0.71 %, which was significantly better than 44.14 ± 1.18 % for the open technique (p < 0.001). The number of nodes dissected showed no significant difference between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

MISOND is a feasible and safe procedure with immediate oncologic outcomes comparable with those of conventional open SOND and provides better cosmetic and functional outcomes.

Endoscopic neck surgery

Endoscopic surgery in the neck was attempted in 1996 for performing parathyroidectomy. A similar surgical technique was used for performing thyroidectomy the following year. Most commonly reported endoscopic neck surgery studies in literature have been on thyroid and parathyroid glands. The approaches are divided into two types i.e., the total endoscopic approach using CO(2) insufflation and the video-assisted approach without CO(2) insufflation. The latter approach has been reported more often. The surgical access (port placements) may vary-the common sites are the neck, anterior chest wall, axilla, and periareolar region. The limiting factors are the size of the gland and malignancy. Few reports are available on endoscopic resection for early thyroid malignancy and cervical lymph node dissection. Endoscopic neck surgery has primarily evolved due to its cosmetic benefits and it has proved to be safe and feasible in suitable patients with thyroid and parathyroid pathologies. Application of this technique for approaching other cervical organs such as the submandibular gland and carotid artery are still in the early experimental phase.

Adénome parathyroïdien : stratégie chirurgicale

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to reach a better understanding in the handling of parathyroid adenomas, and to emphasize the importance of pre-operatory explorations in order to establish the best surgical approach and its cost.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We are using a retrospective study of 51 patients that underwent surgery in our department between the years 1997 and 2002, for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. Every patient received to a pre-operatory exploration in order to localize the parathyroid tumors, including cervical echography in 51 of the cases, and a sestamibi scintigraphy in 49 of the cases. Two surgical procedures were performed: unilateral approach, and bi-lateral approach.

RESULTS

The implementation of a systematic pre-surgical checkup allowed for unilateral surgery in 76% of the patients (39 out of 51), from which 31% (12 out of 39) under local anesthesia.

CONCLUSIONS

The accuracy of the pre-operatory explorations in order to localize the parathyroidian tumors in regard to HPTP, allows for precise surgery via unilateral approach under local anesthesia. The benefits are significant with shorter procedure time, shorter patient hospitalization, and lower risks for complications. The pre-operatory explorations also decrease the total cost of the procedure and are a critical tool for the surgeon.