Implementation of a 4-dimensional computed tomography protocol for parathyroid adenoma localization

To present the results of our implementation of a four-dimensional computed tomography- (4DCT) based parathyroid localization protocol for primary hyperparathyroidism at a safety net hospital.

We performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism at Elmhurst Hospital Center from June 2016 - September 2019. Patients treated prior to the implementation of 4DCT during October 2018 served as historical controls for comparison. Imaging-related costs and hospital charges were obtained from the Radiology Department for each patient.

Forty-two patients underwent parathyroid surgery during the study period. Twenty patients had undergone 4DCT while 22 had nuclear medicine studies with or without ultrasonography. The sensitivity and specificity of 4DCT was 90.4% and 100% respectively, compared to 63% and 93.7% for nuclear imaging studies and 41% and 95% for ultrasound. The mean number of glands explored was significantly less in the 4DCT group, 1.8 ± 1.19 versus 2.77 ± 1.26 (p = 0.01). There was no increase in infrastructure or personnel costs associated with 4DCT implementation.

4DCT represents an increasingly common imaging modality for pre-operative parathyroid localization. Here we demonstrate that 4DCT is associated with a reduction in the number of glands explored and enables minimally invasive parathyroid surgery. 4DCT is a cost-effective and clinically sound localization study for parathyroid localization in an urban safety-net hospital.