Acute change in parathyroid function in primary hyperparathyroidism following ultrasonically guided ethanol injection into solitary parathyroid adenomas

1993 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 377-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steen Karstrup ◽  
Laszlo Hegedüs ◽  
Hans H Holm

Ultrasonically guided percutaneous injection of 96% ethanol into solitary parathyroid tumours in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism may be used as an alternative to surgery in selected patients. Contrary to surgical parathyroidectomy, the acute changes in parathyroid function following ultrasound-guided chemical parathyroidectomy have never been described. Seven consecutive and highly selected patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were treated with ultrasonically guided injection of ethanol (96%) into solitary and biopsy-verified parathyroid tumours. Basic treatment included a maximum of three injections separated by intervals of 24 h. In six of the seven patients normal serum values of ionized calcium were achieved within 36–120 h (median 36 h) and normal serum values of intact parathyroid hormone within 6–78 h (median 24 h). Three patients received two injections and three patients three injections. One patient remained hypercalcaemic in spite of three injections. Subsequent surgery showed the patient to have two parathyroid adenomas, of which only one had been detected ultrasonically. The present study has demonstrated a fast normalization of parathyroid function following two to three ethanol injections into solitary parathyroid tumours in selected patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Finn Noe Bennedbæk ◽  
Steen Karstrup ◽  
Laszlo Hegedüs

Abstract Relevant English language articles published from 1966 to 1995 regarding ethanol therapy in the treatment of thyroid and parathyroid diseases were identified through a MEDLINE search and manual searches of identified articles. The sclerosing properties of ethanol have been recognized for many years and have offered interventional possibilities in the management of various benign as well as malignant lesions. The mechanism of action of ethanol appears to be related to a direct coagulative necrosis and local partial or complete small vessel thrombosis. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) is rapid and performed on an out-patient basis and has now gained wide acceptance due to the accumulating evidence of the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic tool. Yet, there is a lack of prospective, randomized clinical trials comparing PEIT with 131I therapy or surgery with regard to its effects, especially long-term ones and it should therefore still be considered an experimental procedure. In benign endocrine diseases, PEIT has shown promising results in the treatment of autonomous thyroid nodules, benign solitary cold solid as well as cystic thyroid nodules and parathyroid tumours. Its use in pretoxic and toxic thyroid nodules has been evaluated in several uncontrolled studies, all demonstrating a high success rate in spite of the large number of treatments needed. So far efficacy and cost-effectiveness seem inferior to 131I and surgery. Short-term results of PEIT in benign cystic thyroid nodules are convincing with a high cure rate, but no controlled studies with long-term results are available. Preliminary results suggest that PEIT could become an alternative to surgical excision or levothyroxine therapy in the symptomatic solid cold benign thyroid nodule. Ultrasound-guided PEIT of parathyroid tumours has proven to be a useful method in highly selected patients in whom surgery has been found non-attractive and medical treatment ineffective. However, no prospective randomized trials have been published comparing the results of PEIT in parathyroid tumours with conventional surgical and medical treatments. PEIT has never been tested against standard therapy, but seems inferior to 131I and surgery. Side-effects caused by ethanol injection are generally few and transient and are related to the injection into solid nodules rather than cysts. Ethanol injection into solid profund nodules may seriously jeopardize subsequent surgery because of perinodular fibrosis. As an experimental procedure, not yet evaluated sufficiently, it should be reserved for patients who cannot or will not undergo standard therapy. Caution in routine use is advisable. European Journal of Endocrinology 136 240–250


2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 767-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoran Andjelkovic ◽  
Snezana Kuzmic-Jankovic ◽  
Dragan Pucar ◽  
Ivan Tavcar ◽  
Tamara Dragovic

Background/Aim. According to the current principles, autonomous functional thyroid nodules are treated by surgery or by radioiodin therapy. Ultrasound guided percutaneous ethanol injection into solid tumors of the soft tissues was a starting point in attempts to treat the thyroid nodules by the same method. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency of percutaneous injection in treating solitary, nontoxic, autonomous thyroid nodules of up to 15 mL volume. Methods. In 25 patients with solitary nontoxic autonomous thyroid nodules diagnosed by tehnetium-99m scanning as an intensive area having a complete supremacy in the paranodal tissue, an ultrasound guided percutaneous ethanol injection was applied. The procedure was carried out repeatedly once a week until the reduction in nodule size to 50% of the initial size was achieved. Results. An average size of the nodule before curing was 9.68 ? 5.01 mL. An average quantity of the injected ethanol was 9.52 ? 5.08 mL, ie 1.06 ? 0.48 mL/mg of the tissue. The regression of the nodule size in the successfully (?vol% u = - 57.09 ? 13.75%, p < 0.001) and partly successfully cured (?vol du = -48.45 ? 14.35%, p < 0.05) was statistically significant compared to the size before the treatment. After ceasing ethanol injection, 18 months later, a further size regression (?vol% = -79.20 ? 9.89%) compared to the initial one (p < 0.001) was noticed. Soon, after the procedure was finished, a statistically significant concentration increase of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) was noticed compared to the initial values (0.18 ? 0.16 vs 0.34 ? 0.31 mU/L, p < 0.01). According to the given criteria, in two female patients satisfactory results were not achieved, but, a year later, in one of them the nodule was not seen by repeated scintigram. The number and frequency of side effects were insignificant. Conclusion. Repeated percutaneous ethanol injections into nontoxic solitary autonomous thyroid nodules result in disappearing of authonomy. The regression of the nodule size of more than 50% compared to its initial volume, as well as the increase in concentration of TSH for more than 50% are the signs of a successful treatment.


1993 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno L Vergès ◽  
Jean P Cercueil ◽  
Denis Jacob ◽  
Geneviève Vaillant ◽  
Jean M Brun ◽  
...  

Surgery is the usual treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism. However, some patients with high surgical risks are not suitable for surgery. For such patients, we propose, as an alternative treatment, ultrasonically guided percutaneous ethanol injection into parathyroid adenomas, in order to induce necrosis of the tumor. We report, here, the results of ultrasonically guided percutaneous ethanol injection into parathyroid adenomas, during a prolonged follow-up period up to 49 months, in a group of 13 patients (median age 79 years) with primary hyperparathyroidism and contraindications for surgery. In seven patients, complete normalization of plasma calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels was achieved after ethanol injections, with no recurrence of hypercalcemia during a median follow-up period of 28 months (total success). In these seven patients, plasma calcium, phosphorus and PTH levels were normalized 48 h after the successful ethanol injection. In four patients, a partial success was obtained with clinical improvement and normalization of plasma calcium levels but without complete normalization of plasma PTH levels. This partial success is due to incomplete necrosis of the adenoma, as has been confirmed in one patient by histopathological examination. The ethanol injection treatment failed in only two patients. This treatment was always well tolerated and no major side-effects were observed. In conclusion, our results give evidence that ultrasonically guided percutaneous ethanol injection into parathyroid adenomas can be a very useful alternative therapy in patients not suitable for surgery.


The Lancet ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 337 (8754) ◽  
pp. 1421-1422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Verges ◽  
JeanPierre Cercueil ◽  
Pierre Pfitzenmeyer ◽  
Françoise Pascaud ◽  
Genevieve Vaillant ◽  
...  

1993 ◽  
Vol 107 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapani Tikkakoski ◽  
Lars-Eric Stenfors ◽  
Tapani Typpö ◽  
Pentti Lohela ◽  
Meeri Apaja-Sarkkinen

Sixteen patients with biochemically proven primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) underwent ultrasonography (US), fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for cytologic sampling (n = 9), or intact parathormone assay (n = 3) before operation (n = 15) in order to determine the accuracy of the methods. Pre-operative US was found sensitive (100 per cent), but two thyroid lesions were initially diagnosed as parathyroid tumours by US (i.e. false positives). Parathyroid cells were detected in six cytologic specimens, one sample was insufficient and another inconclusive, while one was diagnosed as thyroid tissue. Parathormone assay revealed a high hormone content in all three patients who underwent the procedure. We conclude that US is sufficiently sensitive to detect enlarged parathyroid tumours. Specificity can be improved by US-guided FNA for cytology or parathormone assay prior to neck exploration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Raeymaeckers ◽  
Yannick De Brucker ◽  
Tim Vanderhasselt ◽  
Nico Buls ◽  
Johan De Mey

Abstract Background. 4DCT is a commonly performed examination in the management of primary hyperparathyroidism, combining three-dimensional imaging with enhancement over time as the fourth dimension. We propose a novel technique consisting of 16 different contrast phases, instead of three or four different phases. The main aim of this study was to see if this protocol allows for the detection of parathyroid adenomas within dose limits. Our secondary aim was examining the enhancement of parathyroid lesions over time.Methods. For this prospective study, we included 15 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism prior to surgery. We obtain a 4DCT with 16 different phases: an unenhanced phase followed by 11 consecutive arterial phases and 4 venous phases. Centered on the thyroid, continuous axial scanning is performed over a fixed 8cm or 16cm coverage volume after start of contrast administration.Results. In all patients an enlarged parathyroid can be demonstrated, mean lesion size is 13.6mm. Mean peak arterial peak enhancement for parathyroid lesions is 384 HU compared to 333 HU for the normal thyroid. No statistical difference could be found. Time to peak (TTP) is significantly earlier for parathyroid adenomas compared to normal thyroid tissue: 30.8s versus 32.3s (p value 0.008). Mean Slope of Increase (MSI) of the enhancement curve is significantly steeper compared to normal thyroid tissue: 29.8% versus 22.2% (p value 0.012). Mean dose length product was 890.7 mGy.cm with a calculated effective dose of 6.7 mSv.Conclusion. We propose a feasible 4DCT scanning-protocol for the detection of parathyroid adenomas. We manage to obtain a multitude of phases, allowing for a dynamic evaluation within an acceptable exposure range when compared to classic helical 4DCT. Our 4DCT protocol may allow for a better visualization of the pattern of enhancement of parathyroid lesions, as enhancement over time curves can be drawn. This way wash-in and wash-out of contrast in suspected lesions can be readily demonstrated. Motion artifacts are less problematic as multiple phases are available.


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