1108 Comparing the Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Nuclear Imaging Scan in Preoperative Localisation of Parathyroid Lesions in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism. (12th October 2021) - Jayawardena, P
Abstract: Aim: Parathyroidectomy remains the only method to cure Primary Hyperparathyroidism. Preoperative localisation of the lesion is vital for successful surgical management. The preferred initial preoperative imaging is an ultrasound scan (USS) of the neck. NICE recommends a second preoperative imaging modality to guide the surgical management. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of USS of the neck and SPECT scan in the preoperative localisation of parathyroid lesions in a single Teaching Hospital. Method: A retrospective study performed included a cohort of patients between 2018 and 2020. 31 patients that underwent elective focussed parathyroidectomy were followed up. Data on preoperative investigations including USS of the neck and SPECT and final histological diagnosis of the specimen was captured using the hospital's electronic medical records Quadramed. Results: Both USS and SPECT scan correctly identified the nature and location of the lesion in only 35.4% patients. USS alone correctly identified the nature and location of the lesion in 50.0% patients whereas SPECT was 46.7%. USS incorrectly identified the nature or the location of the lesion in 33.3% patients whereas SPECT was 40.0%. Interestingly, the USS did not identify any abnormal pathology in 5 patients and SPECT in 4 patients, although all 9 showed pathological histology findings. Conclusions: Data collected shows that either scan alone would not be sufficient to confirm the absence of parathyroid pathology. A second scan decreases the likelihood of missing any abnormal pathology. However, in patients with a high clinical suspicion abnormality cannot be ruled out despite having two negative scan results.