New Advances of ICG Angiography in Parathyroid Identification

Objective: For surgeons, locating parathyroid in thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy is critical since parathyroid plays an important role in calcium balance. The fluorescence of parathyroid has already been found by researchers and the angiography equipment detecting the fluorescence of parathyroid with indocyanine green has been widely applied. Using the indocyanine green angiography and looking at the actual fluorescence of in vivo and in vitro tissues, it was possible to identify thyroid, parathyroid, lymph nodes and fat tissues during the surgical procedure. This mini-review aims to present the application of indocyanine green angiography in parathyroid detection and discusses the safety of this method. Methods: The relevant data were searched by using the keywords “Indocyanine green,” “Parathyroid,” and “Identification” and “Protection” in “Pubmed,” “Web of Science” and “China Knowledge Resource Integrated databases”, and a manual search was done to acquire peer-reviewed articles and reports about indocyanine green. Results: Indocyanine green dye along with the intraoperative fluorescence imaging system is safe in detecting parathyroid and predicting postoperative hypoparathyroidism. Conclusion: The conclusion suggests that indocyanine green angiography is a safe, effective and easy way to detect parathyroid glands. The conclusion will be of interest to surgeons regarding thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.