Intraoperative PTH

Some surgeons check PTH levels in the operating room just before and after removing a parathyroid gland. This technique is called intraoperative PTH.

Why don’t you use intraoperative PTH? Another surgeon I saw said that he uses intraoperative PTH (ioPTH) to confirm that the patient is cured. You said that you do not use ioPTH. Why is that?

I prefer to evaluate all four parathyroid glands rather than rely on intraoperative PTH. Here is why: intraoperative PTH is just not that accurate. Here is the thinking behind ioPTH: a surgeon can remove one parathyroid, often one seen on preoperative imaging, test the PTH level in the blood, then wait 5 to 10 minutes and test again, then wait 5 or 10 more minutes and test again. If the PTH dr...

Operation Operative technique Cure rate Intraoperative PTH