Does Fluorescence With or Without Indocyanine Green Improve Parathyroid Identification and Preservation

May 5, 2026 updated by: Herbert Chen, University of Alabama at Birmingham
The aim of this study is to determine if fluorescence with or without indocyanine green can facilitate safe and accurate thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The accurate identification of the parathyroid gland is a crucial aspect of thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Failing to recognize the parathyroid gland during thyroidectomy can result in the inadvertent removal of the gland, leading to postoperative hypocalcemia. On the other hand, during parathyroidectomy, there is a risk of mistaking other structures, such as lymph nodes, for parathyroid adenomas, which can leave the patient without a cure. Currently UAB employs intraoperative PTH or radioactive isotope techniques in conjunction with surgeon judgment. However, both methods have limitations, including being time-consuming, posing logistical challenges, and not providing feedback before gland removal.

Parathyroid fluorescence is a relatively new technology. It was initially discovered that the parathyroid gland emits fluorescence, which distinguishes it from the surrounding tissues. Additionally, indocyanine green dye is readily taken up by the parathyroid gland, making its detection easy to the naked eye. Research has demonstrated that parathyroid fluorescence, with or without indocyanine green, is not only safe but also helps reduce postoperative hypocalcemia and locate lesions in patients with imaging-negative parathyroid adenomas. However, the current use of parathyroid fluorescence is not standardized, and further studies are needed to explore its clinical utility in terms of cure rates and postoperative complications.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
417

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
        • UAB Callahan Eye

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age greater than 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with iodine or shellfish allergies would be excluded.
  • Patients with allergy to indocyanine green.
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Parathyroid patients
patients who require parathyroid identification and preservation during parathyroid surgery maneuver
Drug: Indocyanine green
ICG Administration: All enrolled patients with scheduled thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy will receive a standard cervical incision that afford access to either side of neck. Following sufficient exposure of thyroid, 25 mg of indocyanine green (ICG), reconstituted in 10 ml of sterile water, will be administered intravenously. A dosage of 1 ml of this solution will be injected into a peripheral IV line, followed by a 5 ml flush of normal saline to ensure the propagation of the dye within the vascular compartment.
Device: SPY Portable Handheld Imaging
Fluorescent Imaging: Approximately 30 seconds post-administration, the parathyroid glands are expected to exhibit fluorescence under near-infrared imaging. The emitted fluorescence is anticipated to persist for approximately 20 minutes, allowing ample time for intraoperative evaluation of parathyroid viability and perfusion
Other Names:
  • SPY-PHI

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percentage of Parathyroid Glands identified by ICG
Time Frame: 20 minutes

Measuring the percentage of the number of glands per participant that emit fluorescence.

ICG Administration: All enrolled patients with scheduled thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy will receive a standard cervical incision that afford access to either side of neck. Following sufficient exposure of thyroid, 25 mg of indocyanine green (ICG), reconstituted in 10 ml of sterile water, will be administered intravenously. A dosage of 1 ml of this solution will be injected into a peripheral IV line, followed by a 5 ml flush of normal saline to ensure the propagation of the dye within the vascular compartment.

Fluorescent Imaging: Approximately 30 seconds post-administration, the parathyroid glands are expected to exhibit fluorescence under near-infrared imaging. The emitted fluorescence is anticipated to persist for approximately 20 minutes, allowing ample time for intraoperative evaluation of parathyroid viability and perfusion.
20 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Stryker Nordic

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Herbert Chen, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 11, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 5, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 5, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 5, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 13, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB-300011872
  • Stryker (Other Identifier: Stryker)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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