Human parathyroid blood supply determined by laser-Doppler flowmetry

The blood supply of 53 normal human parathyroid glands was studied with laser Doppler flowmetry in 45 patients undergoing operations on the thyroid and parathyroid glands. The inferior and superior thyroid arteries and other vessels that might supply the parathyroid glands were occluded so their contribution to parathyroid perfusion could be studied. Occlusion of the main trunk of the inferior thyroid artery resulted in a reduction of blood flow by one-third, and a similar reduction was obtained after occlusion of the superior thyroid artery. The results demonstrate that the blood supply to the parathyroid glands is not as dependent on the inferior thyroid artery as has previously been suggested but that other routes of blood supply may be equally or, in some cases, even more important.