The tiny parathyroid glands must be carefully identified during thyroid and other neck surgeries, so to prevent removal of these important organs, as the resultant hypoparathyroidism can cause severe hypocalcemia and even death. Because of their size and coloration, visual identification can be a challenge, which is why it is so fascinating that scientists from Vanderbilt University discovered that parathyroid glands actually fluoresce all on their own. The researchers have shown that this autofluorescence, detected to peak around 820 to 830 nm, can be identified intraoperatively and used to spot the glands.
Full story: Glowing gland can reduce endocrine surgery risk …
Abstract in Journal of Biomedical Optics: Near-infrared autofluorescence for the detection of parathyroid glands