Comparing PTeye-assisted Versus Conventional Total Thyroidectomy

February 12, 2026 updated by: Man Him Matrix Fung, The University of Hong Kong

Reducing Post-operative Hypoparathyroidism With Probe-based Near Infrared Autofluorescence (NIRAF)- Assisted Total Thyroidectomy Versus Conventional Total Thyroidectomy, a Randomized-controlled Trial

This is a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether PTeye™ can reduce post-operative hypoparathyroidism (PH). The study will enroll consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy in a teritary endocrine surgery unit in Hong Kong, randomizing them into receiving conventional surgery versus PTeye™-assisted surgery. Subjects will be assigned to the two groups before surgery. Subjects will be under medical care as in usual practice.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Post-operative hypoparathyroidism (PH) is a debilitating complication following total thyroidectomy. It arises from inadvertent removal or devascularization of the parathyroid glands. From a previous study in Hong Kong and other population-wide series, permanent PH rates could be as high as 11%, and transient PH rates being 30-48%, posing substantial burden on healthcare systems.

Near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) technology has emerged to assist the identification and preservation of parathyroid glands during surgery. This study investigates the probe-based NIRAF device, PTeye™, which emits laser and receives NIR real-time, thereby detecting parathyroid glands by a simple touch of a probe.

A standardized protocol is devised to use PTeye™ for parathyroid identification at the early stage of surgery, in order to avoid devascularization or inadvertent removal of the parathyroids.

This is a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether PTeye™ can reduce PH. The study will enroll consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy in a tertiary endocrine surgery unit in Hong Kong. Patients will be randomized to receive conventional surgery or PTeye™-assisted surgery.

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 (Estimated)

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.
210

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.
  • Not Applicable

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.
  • Name: Man Him, Matrix Fung, MBBS
  • Phone Number: +852 2255 4232
  • Email: mmhfung@hku.hk

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • Recruiting
        • Queen Mary Hospital
        • Contact:

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:

  • Adult patients ≥18 years of age
  • Undergoing total thyroidectomy, or completion total thyroidectomy
  • Pre-operative serum adjusted calcium levels within normal ranges

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients on pre-operative calcium or vitamin D supplements
  • Patients with pre-operative vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum vitamin D<30nmol/L
  • Patients with untreated primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism
  • Patient with known non-surgical hypoparathyroidism diseases
  • Patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate <30ml/1.73m2/min, on dialysis, or having a history of kidney transplant

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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.
Active Comparator: Total thyroidectomy with the PTeye™ parathyroid detection system
PTeye™ assisted total thyroidectomy. PTeye will be used to identify the parathyroid glands early in the course of surgery.
Device: PTeye™ parathyroid detection system
The PTeye™ parathyroid detection system is an adjunctive tool to aid in the identification of visually suspected parathyroid tissue as granted by DEN17005.
No Intervention: Conventional total thyroidectomy
Total thyroidectomy without PTeye™

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
Rate of significant post-operative hypoparathyroidism (SPH) after total thyroidectomy (in %)
Time Frame: 6 months
Rate of significant post-operative hypoparathyroidism (SPH) after total thyroidectomy (in %)
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of inadvertent parathyroidectomy (in %)
Time Frame: within 4 weeks from operation
Rate of inadvertent parathyroidectomy (in %)
within 4 weeks from operation
Rate of parathyroid auto-transplantation (in %)
Time Frame: within operation
Rate of parathyroid auto-transplantation (in %)
within operation
Day 0 PTH
Time Frame: Post-operative Day 0
Day 0 Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Post-operative Day 0
Day 1 Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Time Frame: Post-operative Day 1
Day 1 Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Post-operative Day 1
3-month Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Time Frame: Post-operative 3 months
3-month Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Post-operative 3 months
6-month Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels (pmol/L)
Time Frame: Post-operative 6 months
6-month Post-operative serum parathyroid hormone levels
Post-operative 6 months

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.
The University of Hong Kong

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.
September 16, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
October 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2028

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).
January 20, 2026

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.
February 12, 2026

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.
February 17, 2026

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.
February 17, 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.
February 12, 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.
January 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.
  • UW-25-412

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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