Methods on Parathyroid Protection in Thyroid Surgery, Present and Future

Thyroid surgery is a widely performed operation in recent two decades with complication rate less than 5% [1]. Parathyroid damage is most frequent complication of thyroid surgery because parathyroid is near to or even inside of thyroid gland, and because it is a challenge to distinguish by naked eyes. It has been reported that the incidental rate of parathyroidectomy in thyroid surgery ranges between 6.4~31% [2]. Incidental parathyroidectomy can cause mild to serious hypocalcemia which in turn impair quality of patient’s life. So it is important to protect parathyroid and to keep its’ normal function in thyroid surgery. There are several methods, which identify and protect the parathyroid glands in thyroid surgery, have been developed in the past several years and have being developed in recent years.