Assessing Benefits of NIRAF Detection for Identifying Parathyroid Glands During Total Thyroidectomy.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Thyroid Cancer; Thyroid Neoplasms; Postoperative Hypoparathyroidism

Treatments: Device: NIRAF Detection Technology

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04281875

5R01CA212147-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

VICC HN 2017

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study describes a single center, randomized, single-blinded clinical trial to assess the clinical benefits of the use of near infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) detection with an FDA-cleared device 'Parathyroid Eye (PTeye)' for identifying parathyroid glands (PGs) during total thyroidectomy (TTx). It compares risk-benefits and outcomes in TTx patients where NIRAF detection with PTeye for parathyroid identification is either used or not used.

Full description

Inadvertent damage or excision of a healthy parathyroid gland (PG) following a total thyroidectomy (TTx) could result in transient hypocalcemia (< 6 months) in 5 - 35% of cases or permanent hypocalcemia (> 6 months) in 7% of the patients (1, 2). In both of these circumstances, patients would require calcium and active vitamin D supplementation in addition to a potentially prolonged hospital stay and/or unplanned hospital readmission adding to unnecessary burden and healthcare costs. These complications could be minimized with label-free intraoperative PG identification using near infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) detection with a fiber-probe based approach (3 - 5) as utilized in 'PTeye', which is medical device that was recently FDA-cleared (6). However, the true impact of this particular NIRAF-based approach on patient outcomes is yet to be determined

The aim of this prospective single blinded randomized study is to compare 2 groups of patients: TTx patients operated using NIRAF detection technology with PTeye as adjunct tool (NIRAF+) vs. patients operated without the adjunct technology (NIRAF-). The main objective of this study is to assess the benefit of intraoperative use of NIRAF detection technology via PTeye during TTx procedures with regard to postoperative hypocalcemia, PG identification, PG auto-transplantation and inadvertent resection rates compared to standard of care.

Enrollment: 160 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 99 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

(i) All patients eligible for total thyroidectomy (TTx), with or without lymph node dissection. (includes patients undergoing a TTx who have undergone a prior neck exploration for parathyroid disease or other but have an intact thyroid).

(ii) All patients undergoing completion thyroidectomy.

Exclusion criteria

(i) Patients with concurrent parathyroid disease. (ii) Patients with incidental enlarged parathyroid discovered during TTx. (iii) Patients undergoing thyroid lobectomy/partial thyroidectomy.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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160 participants in 2 patient groups

NIRAF Detection Technology +

Experimental group

Description:

Parathyroid gland identification will be performed with PTeye using NIRAF detection technology as an adjunctive tool in patients who undergo total thyroidectomy (TTx) with or without lymph node dissection (LND).

Treatment:

Device: NIRAF Detection Technology

NIRAF Detection Technology -

No Intervention group

Description:

Parathyroid gland identification will be performed with the naked eye of the surgeon without using PTeye - NIRAF detection technology in patients who undergo total thyroidectomy (TTx) with or without lymph node dissection (LND).