Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Phase 1 study of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
IRAS ID
168701
Contact name
Sabapathy Balasubramanian
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Parathyroid glands are involved in calcium metabolism and their damage during neck surgery results in 'hypoparathyroidism', a condition characterised by 'low blood calcium' levels; this is associated with significant short and long term morbidity. There are four parathyroid glands in the neck which can vary in size and location. They can be mistaken for lymph nodes, fat or thyroid nodules. A normal parathyroid gland is the size of a small pea and is often difficult to recognize during surgery; making it susceptible to inadvertent injury or removal.
Thyroid and parathyroid surgery are commonly performed in the UK. Prompt and accurate identification of parathyroid tissue during surgery reduces the likelihood of hypoparathyroidism. However, this complication is still common. Research exploring the use of intraoperative technologies to enable early identification and preservation of normal parathyroid glands during surgery is ongoing. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is one such technology.
ZedScanTM is a handheld device that measures electrical impedance of tissues. It is currently used as a adjunct during colposcopy in cervical cancer screening. The device has a CE mark for this purpose and is safe to use in humans. We have already demonstrated that electrical impedance spectroscopy can detect differences in cellular structure and differentiate between tissues in the rabbit neck. We now aim to demonstrate the feasibilty of using this technology (ZedScanTM) in humans. This has potential to be used in thyroid and parathyroid surgery to differentiate parathyroid glands from other structures; thereby decreasing their damage and the risk of post surgical hypoparathyroidism.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0293
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion