Ultrasound of the Parathyroid Glands

High Resolution Ultrasound of Parathyroid Glands

When correctly performed, High Resolution Ultrasound of the neck can identify over 50% of parathyroid tumors. This is a relatively inexpensive and non-invasive test that does not require radiation. Additionally, ultrasound of the thyroid and parathyroid 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 the 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 Technetium Sestamibi scan. The ultrasound provides us with anatomic size and location of the adenoma. The Sestamibi nuclear scan measures the "activity" of the adenoma.

Your surgeon also perfoms an ultrasound in the operating room to confirm the position of the parathyroid tumor.  Surgeon performed ultrasound helps ensure the highest success rate when performing minimally invasive parathyroid surgery.