Why you need to see a Clinical Thyroidologist before parathyroid surgery

42 Y/O female sees me for a second opinion for the need for parathyroid surgery. She has documented hyperparathyroidism by calcium and PTH testing.Prior Parathyroid scan
was negative. Ultrasound before seeing me was consistent with a parathyroid adenoma on the left, but a thyroid nodule was seen on the right. There was no change of plans when the thyroid nodule was found pre-op. That was what prompted her to get a second opinion.

I believe that real time high frequency Ultrasound done by the physician thyroidologist, is manditory in this case. Therefore, I repeated the US personally.
The 11 mm mass in the left extra-capsular area of the thyroid had a polar parathyroid like artery coming into the mass. The right lobe of the thyroid had a 6-8 mm mass with irregular border, cystic posterior enhanced views consistent with cystic fluid, and microcalcifications worrisome for papillary thyroid cancer. Also an abnormal shaped lymph node was seen on real time in level 4 lateral to the thyroid nodule in the right lobe.

You wonder if she is having surgery anyway, who cares if there is cancer, she will have her thyroid removed while doing the parathyroid.

Well, the reason is if the node is positive it can change the surgery. There will be a need to remove the lateral neck nodes as well as the total thyroid , and the parathyroid adenoma. This is called a three for one surgery. It would surely save her a relapse and surgery, and Radioiodine years later.

What happened?

The parathyroid was a single adenoma.
The right thyroid nodule was papillary thyroid cancer.
The node washing was positive for TG on FNA, and the surgeon did a right lateral neck node removal at the original surgery.

Now do you know why you need to see a clinical thyroidologist BEFORE you submit to surgery, even if it is recommended by a good endocrinologist, and surgeon. This evaluation may have saved her future surgery for cancer nodes. Pre-op physician
thyroidologist real time ultrasound and US guided FNA of nodes can change the
surgery planned for you 30-44% of the time.

Check www.thyroidologists.com or thyroid.com for details.

I will visit with you with the next great thyroid case soon,



Dr.G.