These New Imaging Advances May Help to Protect Parathyroids

Cost: When to Invest?

Advances in intraoperative parathyroid localization through near-infrared imaging technologies could reduce complication risk and shorten surgeries, but these new devices aren’t cheap.

“They’re expensive, so cost may be one impediment to widespread implementation. They may run anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000,” said David Terris, MD, professor and surgical director at Augusta University Thyroid and Parathyroid Center in Georgia. “These technologies will come down in price, but they may be cost-prohibitive for some surgeons or healthcare systems now. Even after only a year and a half later, there have already been improvements to these technologies.” 

Autofluorescence systems like PTEye and Fluobeam are still relatively new. “There’s more that we don’t know about these technologies. The manufacturers have just recently introduced them in the U.S., and I don’t know if insurance will cover them yet,” said Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD, professor and chairman, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill. “In the U.S., we’re at the front end of using it, and as more early adopters use this new technology, you’ll see more papers published in the coming years.” Clinical trial data may help support wider use of the technology, he said.