Vol.95 No.6 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 95 No. 6 June 2002
Intraoperative Use of Methylene Blue in a Case
of Parathyroid Adenoma
Masako Nakai, Kazuhiro Yamamoto and Tomoko Kanda
(Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki Hospital)
Methylene blue administered intravenously at a dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight was employed as an aid to the intraoperative identification of the parathyroid glands in a patient undergoing surgery for hyperparathyroidism. A 2-cm adenoma was visualized by the staining and safely removed. There was no adverse side effect from this technique.
Localization of the parathyroid glands is often difficult, even for experienced surgeons. Various techniques for preoperative localization such as ultrasound, nuclear magnetic resonance, and technietium-99m-MIBI scan have been proposed, but their reliability varies to a great extent. The intraoperative infusion of methylene blue may be an effective, safe, and easy applicable method to quickly identify the parathyroid glands, thereby shortening the operating time.
Key words : methylene blue, parathyroid gland, intraoperative infusion