PARATHYROID ADENOMA: IS SESTAMIBI SCINTIGRAPHY MANDATORY?

Localization of parathyroid adenoma using 99mTc scintigraphy is the standard of care. However, of late, ultrasound has been employed to this end with increasing frequency.1, 2, 3 The employment of intra-operative PTH estimation (IOPTH) has further augmented the cure rate of hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid adenomas.4 While ultrasound is widely available, scintigraphy is available only in tertiary health-care centres. With this background, a prospective study was conducted in the department of endocrine surgery of a tertiary care hospital to analyse the efficacy of surgeon-performed ultrasound (SPUS) in comparison to that of 99mTc Sestamibi scintigraphy in the localization of parathyroid adenomas.