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Intra-operative Infra-red Fluorescent Imaging in Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

NHS Foundation Trust logo

NHS Foundation Trust

Status and phase

Completed
Phase 2
Phase 1

Conditions

Bilateral Neck Exploration for Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Total Thyroidectomy

Treatments

Other: MB and fluorescent imaging

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02089542
STH17176

Details and patient eligibility

About

Reliable identification of parathyroid glands is critical to the success of thyroid and parathyroid surgery. In thyroid surgery, inadvertent injury to parathyroid glands may cause temporary or permanent hypoparathyroidism (low calcium levels needing long term treatment). In parathyroid surgery, early identification of normal and/or enlarged parathyroid glands helps in deciding on the extent of surgery and increases the chances of postoperative normal calcium levels.

Methylene Blue (Methylthioninium chloride, MB) is a dye that when given intravenously in high doses, is taken up differently by thyroid and parathyroid tissue. It is currently used during parathyroid surgery by some surgeons to help identify enlarged parathyroid glands by visual examination alone. Such visual examination is unhelpful in the identification of 'normal' parathyroid tissue. MB exhibits fluorescent properties in the near-infrared range (light just beyond the visible spectrum). This can be picked up by an appropriate imaging system. This has potential to identify and differentiate between 'normal' parathyroid, 'abnormal' parathyroid and thyroid tissue during surgery.

The investigators have established the feasibility of the intra-operative use of a near infra-red fluorescent imaging device called Fluobeam® and demonstrated the ability of this device to pick up near infra-red fluorescence from human tissue after administration of intravenous MB. Animal experiments have shown that doses as low as 0.1mg/kg of MB given intravenously enable fluorescent visualisation of thyroid and parathyroid glands.

This study will aim to optimise the dose and timing of administration of MB in human thyroid and parathyroid surgery and to develop a protocol which would then subsequently be assessed for effectiveness in a multi-centred randomized controlled setting.

Full description

Around 13,000 thyroid and parathyroid operations are performed per year in England for both benign and malignant disease. Reliable identification of parathyroid glands is critical to the success of thyroid and parathyroid surgery. In thyroid surgery, inadvertent injury to parathyroid glands may cause temporary or permanent hypoparathyroidism (low calcium levels needing long term treatment); the latter is associated with significant long term problems. In parathyroid surgery, early identification of normal and/or enlarged parathyroid glands helps in deciding on the extent of surgery and increases the chances of postoperative normal calcium levels.

Methylene Blue (Methylthioninium chloride, MB) is a dye that when given intravenously in high doses, is taken up differently by thyroid and parathyroid tissue. It is currently used during parathyroid surgery by some surgeons to help identify enlarged parathyroid glands by visual examination alone. At these doses, there is a risk of adverse effects from administration of MB. Such visual examination is unhelpful in the identification of 'normal' parathyroid tissue. MB is not currently used in surgery for thyroid pathologies. MB exhibits fluorescent properties in the near-infrared range (light just beyond the visible spectrum). This can be picked up by an appropriate imaging system. This has potential to identify and differentiate between 'normal' parathyroid, 'abnormal' parathyroid and thyroid tissue during surgery.

The investigators have established the feasibility of the intra-operative use of a near infra-red fluorescent imaging device called Fluobeam® and demonstrated the ability of this device to pick up near infra-red fluorescence from human tissue after administration of intravenous MB. Animal experiments have shown that doses as low as 0.1mg/kg of MB given intravenously enable fluorescent visualisation of thyroid and parathyroid glands.

This study will aim to optimise the dose and timing of administration of MB in human thyroid and parathyroid surgery and to develop a protocol which would then subsequently be assessed for effectiveness in a multi-centred randomized controlled setting.

Enrollment

41 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

-All patients undergoing either a total thyroidectomy or bilateral neck exploration for PHPT in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients undergoing re-do procedures
  • Patients unable to understand spoken and written English
  • Patients unable to give adequate informed consent
  • Patients with a history of intolerance or sensitivity to MB
  • Patients with known G6PD deficiency
  • Patients on serotonin reuptake inhibitors
  • Patients undergoing surgery for thyroglossal cyst and
  • Patients undergoing thoracic exploration; either alone or in combination with a neck exploration

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

N/A

Interventional model

Single Group Assignment

Masking

None (Open label)

41 participants in 1 patient group

MB and fluorescent imaging
Experimental group
Description:
Single arm study for the development of a protocol stipulating the optimum dose and time to peak near infra-red fluorescence from intraoperative injection of low dose Methylthioninium chloride
Treatment:
Other: MB and fluorescent imaging

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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