American journal of surgery | 2021
Radioactive iodine-125 seed localization as an aid in reoperative neck surgery.
Abstract
BACKGROUND\nScarring and disrupted tissue planes add to already-complex neck anatomy and make localization of nonpalpable pathology difficult in cervical endocrine reoperations. We describe the use of radioactive iodine-125 seed localization (RSL) in 6 patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and 2 with recurrent hyperparathyroidism.\n\n\nMETHODS\nEight patients had 2-D ultrasound-guided RSL of the target lesion, 0-3 days preoperatively. Intraoperative gamma probe (Neoprobe) was used to plan incision placement and localize the implanted seed. Recorded operative variables included: number of lymph nodes (LNs) harvested, estimated blood loss (EBL), operative time, length of stay (LOS) and RSL and operative complications.\n\n\nRESULTS\nAll patients had successful resection of the targeted area and removal of the radioactive seed. There was no seed migration. Two complications occurred in the thyroid group.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nRadioactive iodine 125 seeds facilitate successful localization of endocrine pathology during reoperative cervical procedures.