Use of the PTEye Device to Reduce Inadvertent Parathyroidectomy During Thyroid Surgery

Inadvertent Parathyroidectomy (IP) during thyroid surgery may lead to transient or permanent hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia, which represents significant morbidity. Patients that suffer from IP and its clinical consequences often require longer duration of hospitalization and additional inpatient treatment and prescription medications. ProMedica performs a large number of endocrine procedures, so the use of novel technology to aid in the intra operative identification of parathyroid glands may ultimately offer decreased morbidity to patients.

The goal of this study is to find out if using the PTEye device (a device that uses infrared light to find the Parathyroid gland) lowers the amount of times a surgeon accidentally takes out the Parathyroid gland while trying to take out the Thyroid gland in surgery.