International Session 36　　Head & Neck 5

Preservation of the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery is crucial to prevent postoperative hypocalcemia.Parathyroid glands exhibit intrinsic autofluorescence with an emission peak around 820 nm and near-infrared imaging has been applied for their intraoperative identification.However, its role in endoscopic thyroid surgery remains unclear.We report on two cases in which near-infrared imaging revealed parathyroid autofluorescence during video-assisted neck surgery (VANS) .The first patient was an 82-year-old woman with papillary thyroid carcinoma.We performed right thyroid lobectomy by VANS.A parathyroid gland on the posterior thyroid surface showed homogeneous and strong autofluorescence.The second patient was a 53-year-old woman with primary hyperparathyroidism.A parathyroid tumor showing heterogeneous and relatively weak autofluorescence was identified on the posterior aspect of the right thyroid lobe.In both cases, observation was facilitated by the use of a monitor with enhanced contrast and brightness.These findings suggest that parathyroid autofluorescence can be visualized even during endoscopic thyroid surgery and may contribute to safer procedures.