Identification of the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery

inomed focuses on precise technology for intraoperative fluorescence imaging

Various complications can occur during thyroid surgery: One possible complication is injury to the vocal cord nerves or damage to the function of the parathyroid glands.

To minimise the risk of parathyroid injury, inomed offers FLUOBEAM© LX >> from FLUOPTICS®, a world novelty for fluorescence imaging in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. The highly sensitive FLUOBEAM® LX consists of a new type of camera that allows both the parathyroid glands to be recognised by autofluorescence without the need for any additional aids and also allows perfusion to be visualised by means of a dye.

inomed offers a complete solution for highest reliability and safety in thyroid surgery. On the one hand this is achieved by early detection of the parathyroid glands and visualisation of the perfusion with the Fluobeam LX and on the other hand by nerve monitoring with the C2 Xplore. >> The C2 Xplore, as successor of the proven C2 NerveMonitor, is based on more than 10 years of experience of reliable signal stability in thyroid surgery.

Identification of parathyroid glands crucial in thyroid surgery

In order not to remove healthy parathyroid glands unintentionally during thyroid surgery, reliable identification of the parathyroid glands is crucial. Their tiny (lenticular) size and hidden location, often in atypical areas, make the surgical procedure difficult. The consequence of unplanned removal of healthy parathyroid glands can lead to temporary or permanent parathyroid hypofunction (hypoparathyroidism) or calcium metabolism disorders (hypocalcemia).

Intraoperative fluorescence imaging and parathyroid vascularisation

To identify the parathyroid glands, one uses a physiological property of the endocrine glands: autofluorescence. Parathyroid glands fluoresce naturally when irradiated with a specific wavelength.

The FLUOBEAM® LX camera emits light at this wavelength back to the tissue and the parathyroid glands, allowing the surgeon to clearly locate the parathyroid glands during surgery.

Through the intravenous injection of indocyanine green (indocyanine green angiography), FLUOBEAM® LX enables the surgeon to clearly visualize the vascularisation of the parathyroid glands and identify their vessels.

With FLUOBEAM® LX, both the localisation and vascularisation of the parathyroid glands can be recorded, thus significantly reducing the postoperative complications of damaged parathyroids during thyroid surgery.

Learn more about our cooperation partner FLUOPTICS© >>