Near Infrared (NIR) Autofluorescence Image-guided Thyroid Surgery can Prevent Post-thyroidectomy Hypoparathyroidism – a Multicenter RCT

The objective of this ongoing randomized controlled trial is to examine whether the use of intra-operative NIR camera can reduce the number of patients who experience transient or persistent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy both in malignant and benign thyroid disease. Hypoparathyroidism is the most frequent complication after thyroid surgery and can be divided into transient (>3 month) or permanent (>12 months). Both are associated with significant costs and morbidity for the patient. It is well known that parathyroid glands can be detected intraoperatively due to their ability to autoflouresce when subjected to NIR-light. We hypothesize that NIR Imaging will reduce the frequency of persistent hypoparathyroidism. Several studies have found NIR useful to identify the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery which has been associated with a reduced risk of transient hypoparathyroidism. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study where the effect on persistent hypoparathyroidism is examined in a randomized controlled setting.