A Case of Intra-thyroidal Parathyroid Adenoma Confirmed by Intraoperative Near-infrared Autofluorescence

Abstract

In general, the anatomical location and number of parathyroid glands are well known, but they are often found in a variety of locations, making it difficult to find parathyroid glands during surgery. Besides Intra-thyroidal parathyroid adenoma is extremely rare case, and it is harder to identify in surgery. We encountered a 51-year-old patient with a thyroid nodule. The results of the additional blood test and the Tc-99m MIBI were combined to determine that the left lower lobe parathyroid adenoma was highly likely. This patient was treated with left thyroid lobectomy with parathyroid identification using Near-infrared (NIR) imaging. Afterwards, the biopsy confirmed that it was a parathyroid adenoma, and has since been monitored through outpatient observation without any problem. We present this rare case with a review of related literatures.