Parathyroid Ultrasound

High Resolution Parathyroid Ultrasound

When correctly performed, High Resolution Parathyroid Ultrasound can identify over 50% of parathyroid tumors. Parathyroid Ultrasound is a relatively inexpensive and non-invasive test that does not require radiation. Additionally, ultrasound of the thyroid and parathyroid glands is used preoperatively to rule out thyroid nodules which may need to be evaluated prior to parathyroid surgery. The NewYork Center for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery uses one of the medical industry's most advanced ultrasound machines.   Parathyroid adenomas that previously could not be visualized with older ultrasound machines can now be found with greater certainty. For minimally invasive parathyroid surgery, we perform ultrasound of the thyroid and parathyroid together with parathyroid scan. The ultrasound provides us with anatomic size and location of the adenoma. The Sestamibi nuclear scan measures the "activity" of the adenoma.

Typically the parathyroid ultrasound is performed on the day of surgery.  In the ultrasound sweet we mark the position of the parathyroid tumor on the neck and this helps to guide our incision placement and our surgery.  Ultrasound performed with the operating surgeon helps us ensure the highest success rate when performing minimally invasive parathyroid surgery.