Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of ultrasound-assisted mapping technique in preoperative localization of parathyroid gland in thyroidectomy so as to improve the positive rate of parathyroid identification, effectively protect parathyroid gland and reduce the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia. Methods One hundred and sixty patients undergoing thyroid surgery were equally divided into two groups. Preoperatively, the patients in group A received ultrasound parathyroid positioning with hand-painted icon technology, and those in group B were given ultrasound parathyroid positioning only. The coincidence rate and missed diagnosis rate of preoperative and intraoperative localization in group A, the intraoperative identification rate and resection of parathyroid in both groups were recorded. On the first postoperative day, blood calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured in all patients. Results In group A, 176 parathyroid glands were localized preoperatively with a coincidence rate with intraoperative localization of 92.63% (176/190), and 14 glands were not detected by ultrasound with a missed diagnosis rate of 7.37% (14/190). The positive rates of intraoperative identification in group A and B were 86.36% (190/220) and 77.27% (170/220), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Two parathyroid glands were resected by mistake in group A and 9 in group B. The rate of parathyroid gland resection in group A was lower than that in group B (P<0.05). The differences of blood calcium and PTH between the two groups on the first day after operation were statistically significant (both P<0.05). Conclusion Preoperative localization of parathyroid gland by ultrasound-assisted mapping technique in thyroidectomy may facilitate the intraoperative identification and preservation of parathyroid gland as well as the reduction of the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia.