IntroductionElevated metanephrine and catecholamine levels 3-fold upper limit of normal (ULN) are diagnostic for pheochromocytoma. We sought to determine whether size correlates with biochemical activity or symptoms which could guide timing of surgery.MethodsData from consecutive patients undergoing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma at our institution over a 10-year period were retrospectively collected. These included maximal lesion diameter on preoperative imaging, plasma/urine metanephrine and/or catecholamine levels, demographic variables and presence of typical paroxysmal symptoms. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess predictive accuracy.ResultsSixty-three patients were included in the analysis (41 females and 22 males). Median age was 56 (43, 69) years. Due to various referring practices, 31 patients had documented 24-h urine metanephrine, 26 had 24-h urine catecholamine, and 52 had fractionated plasma metanephrine levels available for review. Values were converted to fold change compared to ULN and the maximum of all measured values was used for logistic regression. Median tumor size was 3.40 (2.25, 4.55) cm in greatest dimension. Tumor size at which pheochromocytoma produced > 3-fold ULN was ≥2.3 cm (AUC of 0.84). Biochemical activity increased with doubling tumor size (odds ratio = 8, P = 0.0004) or ≥ 1 cm increase in tumor size (odds ratio = 3.03, P = 0.001). 40 patients had paroxysmal symptoms, but there was no significant correlation between tumor size/biochemical activity and symptoms.ConclusionsIn our study, tumor size directly correlated with the degree of biochemical activity and pheochromocytomas ≥2.3 cm produced levels 3 times ULN. These findings may allow clinicians to adjust timing of operative intervention.

Introduction Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) in children is uncommon, resulting in a paucity of data describing the disease process in this population. Herein, in an effort to bridge the information gap, we review our experience with pHPT in adolescent patients under 20 y of age at a specialized tertiary referral center. Methods A retrospective chart review included all adolescent patients with pHPT, who underwent surgery at our institution between 2004 and 2023. Presenting symptoms, biochemical workup, intraoperative findings, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results Forty-nine adolescent patients were included, with 45% (n = 22) being male. The median age at diagnosis was 16.6 y (14.1-20). On presentation, 71% (n = 35) were symptomatic, most commonly nephrolithiasis (35%, n = 17). The median preoperative calcium and parathyroid hormone were 12 mg/dL (11.3-12.6) and 128pg/mL (105-170.5), respectively. Focused parathyroidectomy was performed in 61% (n = 30) and four-gland exploration in 39% (n = 19) of patients. Eighty-six percent were found to have a single adenoma and 14% had multigland disease. Preoperative localization with ultrasound and Sestamibi had a sensitivity of 57% and 59%, respectively. When combining both imaging modalities, sensitivity increased to 78% (positive predictive value 91%). There were no surgical complications. At the median follow-up of 61.0 mo, 4% of patients were found to have recurrent pHPT. Younger age (OR 0.64, P = 0.038) and sporadic disease (OR 0.04, P = 0.050) had less likelihood of recurrence. Conclusions Most adolescent patients with pHPT present with symptoms and have single gland disease. Adolescent pHPT should be treated like adult pHPT, utilizing intraoperative PTH and two preoperative imaging modalities.

Supplementary Figure 1 from CREB3L2-PPARγ Fusion Mutation Identifies a Thyroid Signaling Pathway Regulated by Intramembrane Proteolysis

Supplementary Figure 1 from CREB3L2-PPARγ Fusion Mutation Identifies a Thyroid Signaling Pathway Regulated by Intramembrane Proteolysis

these people may not have a difference in overall survival, however, this is not known.Utilizing the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we aim to compare three groups of thyroid cancer patients: (1) those who underwent surgery, (2) those who did not have surgery for a specific reason, and (3) those who had an indication for surgery but did not undergo an operation.This third group will be referred to as "failure to intervene" (FTI), as the data would suggest they had an indication for surgery, and no reason was provided for why it did not happen.Here, we aim to identify and discuss differences in demographics, pathology, and survival in the FTI group.We hypothesize that these patients are less likely to have private

OBJECTIVE:The present study aimed to estimate the clinical value of quantitative computed tomography perfusion imaging (CTPI) parameters in predicting early treatment response, as determined by the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (mRECIST), in patients with HCC who underwent transarterial radioembolization (TARE).PATIENTS AND METHODS:This retrospective cohort study included 54 patients with HCC who had TARE treatment between July 2018 and August 2019. Each patient was evaluated using CTPI before the procedure and in the first and third months after the procedure. In the third month, treatment response was determined based on mRECIST and used as a reference. ROC analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the CTPI parameters before treatment and one month after treatment and the treatment response.RESULTS:Significant cut-off values for three of the CTPI parameters - hepatic blood flow (BF), time to start (TTS) and hepatic perfusion index (HPI) - which were among the pre-treatment CTPI parameters, were found to predict progressive disease (PD). The TTS cut-off value was 1.29 (sensitivity: 86.7%; specificity: 6.7%), the BF cut-off value was 81.58 (sensitivity: 53.3%; specificity: 90%) and the HPI cut-off value was 88.26 (sensitivity: 33%; specificity: 96.7%).CONCLUSIONS:BV, TTS and HPI may be predictive for PD in HCC lesions in the third month after TARE treatment. In contrast, the CTPI parameters in the first month after TARE played no significant role in predicting the treatment response and determining the effects of TARE on the microvascular level.

Regional chorioretinal atrophy in the posterior fundus (patchy chorioretinal atrophy) in pathological myopia impairs vision severely when it covers the macula. The aim of this study was to assess the course of development and progression of patchy chorioretinal atrophy in pathological myopia. The location and progression of patchy chorioretinal atrophy that was either newly developed or had progressed during the follow-up period (mean 5.25 years) were analyzed. A total of 41 lesions of patchy atrophy were newly developed in 30 eyes of 25 patients. These lesions were more likely to occur in marginal regions of a posterior staphyloma but frequency per unit area was highest in the macula. There were 138 lesions of patchy chorioretinal atrophy that progressed in 75 eyes of 53 patients. Sixty percent of the lesions of patchy chorioretinal atrophy in marginal regions of a posterior staphyloma spread toward the center. Seventy percent of the lesions of patchy chorioretinal atrophy in the macula spread in all directions. Fluorescein angiography of newly developed patchy chorioretinal atrophy showed hyperfluorescence in 50% and hypofluorescence in 27%. Fluorescein angiography of progressive lesions of patchy chorioretinal atrophy showed hypofluorescence in 69%. Fluorescein angiography of some progressive areas of patchy chorioretinal atrophy, which showed a change from hyperfluorescence to hypofluorescence within several years, suggested that damage to the retinal pigment epithelium preceded the progression of the patchy chorioretinal atrophy. In conclusion, the patchy chorioretinal atrophy is most likely to occur in the macula and to enlarge in all directions. And it is suggested that the patchy chorioretinal atrophy which shows hyperfluorescence by fluorescein angiography should be kept under observation because our data suggest that this finding indicates progression in the future.

The history of thyroid surgery closely parallels the evolution of modern surgical techniques and the synthesis of our understanding of anatomy, physiology, endocrinology, and pathology. The evolution of thyroid surgical techniques has been convoluted. Even when thyroid and parathyroid disorders were first recognized as discrete entities, they were misunderstood. By comprehending the past, we are able to understand the present and push the boundaries of what is possible in the future. Surgeons around the world continue to expand on these techniques, advancing the evolution of thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Ultimately, they build on the original work of those who have come before them, while laying the foundation for those who will come after them, in this ever-evolving field of surgery.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend total thyroidectomy (TT) and radioablation for most papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in children. These guidelines have been criticized as aggressive, especially for early-stage PTC, as it likely does not influence patient survival and results in life-long thyroid hormone replacement. We sought to study whether the extent of thyroidectomy (TT vs thyroid lobectomy [TL]) influences overall and disease-specific survival in children with localized PTC. METHODS: The National Cancer Database and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries were queried. Patients 18 years or younger with low-risk PTC between 2004 and 2016 were included. Using a 1:1 propensity score matching, patients who underwent TT were matched for age, sex, race, year of diagnosis, and tumor size with a similar cohort of patients who underwent TL. Primary end points were overall survival and disease-specific survival. RESULTS: There were 3,500 patients identified as surgically treated for PTC, of which 1,325 patients met inclusion criteria for matching. Three hundred and twenty-six patients were matched. One hundred and sixty-three patients had TT; 140 were female and mean age was 16 years (inter-quartile range [IQR] 13 to 17 years). One hundred and sixty-three patients had TL; 140 were female and mean age was 16 years (IQR 14 to 17 years). Median follow-up was 5.0 years (IQR 2.8 to 8 years) and 8.3 years (IQR 3.6 to 14.4 years) in the National Cancer Database and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cohorts, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival or disease-specific survival in patients with PTC < 4 cm, regardless of whether patients underwent TT or TL (p = 0.32 for National Cancer Database registry and p = 0.67 for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the extent of thyroidectomy does not influence survival for pediatric patients with early-stage PTC and that TL might be adequate in this patient population. (C) 2021 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND We compared the rates of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) decline using the Siemens Immulite® Turbo PTH and Roche Elecsys® short turnaround time PTH assays in 95 consecutive surgical patients to investigate analytical and turnaround time (TAT) differences between the tests performed in the operating room (OR) vs the central clinical chemistry laboratory (CCL). METHODS Serial blood samples from 95 patients undergoing parathyroidectomy were collected and measured using the 2 immunoassays. Specimens from the first 15 patients were measured simultaneously in the OR and CCL and used for the TAT study. In addition to 2 baseline samples, specimens were collected at 5, 10, and 15 min (for some patients, >15 min) after parathyroidectomy. RESULTS In the TAT study, a significant difference was observed (OR median 20 min vs CCL median 27 min; P < 0.05). Of the 95 patient series, slower rates of parathyroid hormone decrease were observed in approximately 20% of the patients when comparing the Roche with the Immulite immunoassay. CONCLUSIONS There was a slightly longer TAT in the CCL compared with running the assay directly within the OR (median difference of approximately 7 min). For a majority of the patients, both methods showed equivalent rates of PTH decline; however, for approximately 20% of the patients, there was a slower rate of PTH decline using the Roche assay.

Background: Patients undergoing subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism often develop postoperative hypocalcemia, requiring calcitriol and intravenous calcium (Postop-IVCa). We hypothesized that in subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism, preoperative calcitriol treatment reduces the use of postoperative administration of intravenous calcium. Methods: A retrospective chart review compared subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism patients who received preoperative calcitriol treatment with those patietns who did not receive preoperative calcitriol treatment at one institution. Preoperative calcitriol treatment loading doses were 0.5 mcg twice daily for 5 days. All patients received postoperative calcitriol and oral calcium carbonate. Postoperative administration of intravenous calcium was given for symptoms, calcium <7.0 mg/dL, or surgeon preference. The Fisher exact test was used to compare proportions. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare continuous data. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for confounders. Results: Included were 81 patients who received subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism (41 patients who received preoperative calcitriol treatment, 40 patients who did not receive preoperative calcitriol treatment). Preoperative calcitriol treatment use increased over time (0% 2004-2010, 69% 2011-2016). Groups who received preoperative calcitriol treatment and groups who did not receive preoperative calcitriol treatment were similar in preoperative serum calcium, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and median age (P > .05 for all). Patients who received preoperative calcitriol treatment less often required postoperative administration of intravenous calcium (34% vs 90% of patients who did not receive preoperative calcitriol treatment, P < .001). Median length of stay was 2.0 days shorter for patients who received preoperative calcitriol treatment versus patients who did not receive preoperative calcitriol treatment patients (P < .001). Factors associated with postoperative administration of intravenous calcium included not receiving preoperative calcitriol treatment, low preoperative calcium, and high preoperative parathyroid hormone. After multivariable adjustment, preoperative calcitriol treatment remained independently associated with reduced postoperative administration of intravenous calcium (OR 0.02, P < .001). Conclusion: Preoperative calcitriol therapy lowered use of postoperative administration of intravenous calcium by 56% and length of stay by 50% in subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism patients. We believe preoperative calcitriol treatment should become standard of care for subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal-origin hyperparathyroidism. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The first case of thyroid carcinoma in a child was described in 1902. Following this, Crile published the first case series of pediatric thyroid cancer in 1959, whereby he characterized pediatric thyroid cancer in 18 children. He noted that pediatric thyroid cancer was more commonly metastatic to cervical lymph nodes and to the lungs than was described in the adult population. Despite finding these cancers to be more aggressive than in adults, only one of the patients died of thyroid cancer and four of them were alive with lung metastases. This publication spawned many subsequent studies confirming these findings. As a result, there has been much debate on the appropriate surgical treatment of thyroid cancer in the pediatric population both with respect to the extent of surgery and the use of radioactive iodine.

228 Background: In a multicenter cohort of over 1,200 patients, we have shown that thyroid cancer survivors report a decrease in quality of life (QoL) that is significant and equal to other common cancers. While these findings are striking, there have been no studies assessing physician perceptions regarding how a diagnosis of thyroid cancer affects QoL. We hypothesize that there is a large discrepancy between what physicians perceive the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer has on QoL and what patients report. Methods: Physicians were recruited from two national organizations. A 37-question survey was administered evaluating demographic and treatment-related information as well as questions specific to perceptions of patient satisfaction with various aspects of treatment, complications and overall effects on QoL. Responses were categorized into physical, psychological, social and outcomes. Regression analysis was performed to determine trends in physician perceptions. Results: 105 physicians completed the survey. The majority of participants were endocrine surgeons (n=59, 56.2%), followed by endocrinologists (n= 31, 29.5%), general surgeons (n=8, 7.6%), otolaryngologists (n=2, 1.9%), and medical oncologists (n=1, 1%). The mean number of years in practice was 18.78 years (n=80). There was no difference in response by physician specialty. There was no difference in physician perception on psychological and social effects of thyroid cancer compared to those reported by patients (p=0.643). However, regarding physical concerns, physicians report significantly lower rates of physical concerns than reported by patients with regards to fatigue (p<0.01), weight gain (p<0.01), voice changes (p=0.0427), and heat/cold intolerance (p<0.01). Conclusions: There is a discrepancy between physician perceptions on the effect of thyroid cancer on QoL in thyroid cancer survivors and what these survivors report. As such, there needs to be greater awareness about the effects of thyroid cancer on QoL. In order to better assess and monitor QoL in thyroid cancer survivors, a validated thyroid cancer-specific survivorship care plan incorporating these findings should be created to better assess and monitor patients with a diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND:Primary aldosteronism is a common but underdiagnosed cause of hypertension. Patients with this disorder have worse morbidity compared with those with essential hypertension, but with timely diagnosis and appropriate intervention these patients are potentially cured and may have reversal of target organ damage. The goal of this study was to determine if hypertensive patients considered high risk were checked for primary aldosteronism.METHODS:We reviewed electronic health records to identify patients age 18 years or older with coexisting hypertension and hypokalemia or hypertension and sleep apnea, then determined if they had been investigated with measurement of aldosterone or renin. We built regression models to identify explanatory variables for screening in these 2 high-risk groups.RESULTS:Of nearly 37,000 patients with hypertension and hypokalemia, only 2.7% were ever screened for primary aldosteronism. Most opportunities for case detection were during inpatient hospitalizations, yet in this setting, patients were less likely than clinic patients be screened. Similarly, 3.0% of hypertensive patients with sleep apnea were screened since the inclusion of this group in case detection recommendations.CONCLUSION:Uptake of practice guidelines by hospital physicians, fueled by support from their specialty societies, may help to identify many more patients with unrecognized primary aldosteronism.

BACKGROUND:Current quality of life assessment tools for thyroid cancer survivors are not clinically useful due to the length of available questionnaires. Computerized adaptive tests are easily administered electronically and can achieve highly accurate and efficient results in minimal time. We aimed to develop a quality of life computerized adaptive tests (ThyCAT) for thyroid cancer survivors. METHODS:A bifactor item response theory model was fit to questionnaire responses from 1,078 North American Thyroid Cancer Survivorship Study participants-a longitudinal cohort study of quality of life in thyroid cancer survivors. Tuning parameters were selected to maintain a correlation of r > 0.9 with the total item bank quality of life score obtained from the original North American Thyroid Cancer Survivorship Study questions, using a minimal number of adaptively administered ThyCAT items. RESULTS:The ThyCAT assesses quality of life with strong correlation (r = 0.96) with the original 75 North American Thyroid Cancer Survivorship Study questions using an average of 9.94 questions (SD ± 3.03) administered in <2 minutes. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of ThyCAT questions required based on demographic or tumor characteristics. CONCLUSION:The ThyCAT can be administered on a smartphone app in <10 questions, and <2 minutes, allowing efficient and accurate in or out of clinic identification of patients struggling with quality of life issues after thyroid cancer treatment.

BACKGROUND:Thyroid-related mortality has remained constant despite the increasing incidence of thyroid carcinoma. Most thyroid nodules are benign; therefore, ultrasound and fine needle aspiration (FNA) are integral in cancer screening. We hypothesize that increased nodule size at ultrasound does not predict malignancy and correlation between nodule size at ultrasound and pathologic exam is good. METHODS:Resected thyroids with preoperative ultrasounds were identified. Nodule size at ultrasound, FNA diagnosis by Bethesda category, size at pathologic examination, and final histologic diagnosis were recorded. Nodule characteristics at ultrasound and FNA diagnoses were correlated with gross characteristics and histologic diagnoses. Nodules for which correlation could not be established were excluded. RESULTS:Of 1003 nodules from 659 patients, 26% were malignant. Nodules <2 cm had the highest malignancy rate (∼30%). Risk was similar (∼20%) for nodules ≥2 cm. Of the 548 subject to FNA, 38% were malignant. Decreasing malignancy rates were observed with increasing size (57% for nodules <1 cm to 20% for nodules >6 cm). At ultrasound size cutoffs of 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm, smaller nodules had higher malignancy rates than larger nodules. Of the 455 not subject to FNA, 11% were malignant. Ultrasound size alone is a poor predictor of malignancy, but a relatively good predictor of final pathologic size (R2 = 0.748), with less correlation at larger sizes. In nodules subject to FNA, false negative diagnoses were highest (6-8%) in nodules 3-6 cm, mostly due to encapsulated follicular variant of papillary carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS:Thyroid nodule size is inversely related to malignancy risk, as larger nodules have lower malignancy rates. However, the relationship of size to malignancy varies by FNA status. All nodules (regardless of FNA status) demonstrate a risk trough at ≥2 cm. Nodules subject to FNA show step-wise decline in malignancy rates by size, demonstrating that size alone should not be considered as an independent risk factor. Size at ultrasound shows relatively good correlation with final pathologic size. False negative rates are low in this series. Lesions with the appropriate constellation of clinical and radiographic findings should undergo FNA regardless of size. Both size and FNA diagnosis should influence the clinical decision-making process.

ABSTRACT Adrenal-renal fusion is a rare entity wherein the capsule of the adrenal gland is fused to the kidney. Here, we report a case of adrenal-renal fusion making intraoperative dissection challenging. We also report on four other cases of adrenal-renal fusion at our institution and a review of the literature. Although rare, radiologists and surgeons must be aware of this condition and consider it as a possibility, especially when dealing with upper pole renal lesions in order to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary resections. How to cite this article James BC, Jeon HD, Rozenfeld M, Antic T, Kaplan EL, Angelos P, Grogan RH. Adrenal-renal Fusion: A Rare and Challenging Case for the Adrenal Surgeon. World J Endoc Surg 2017;9(2):61-64.

Rates of thyroid cancer in women with a history of breast cancer are higher than expected. Similarly, rates of breast cancer in those with a history of thyroid cancer are increased. Explanations for these associations include detection bias, shared hormonal risk factors, treatment effect, and genetic susceptibility. With increasing numbers of breast and thyroid cancer survivors, clinicians should be particularly cognizant of this association. Here, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature utilizing PubMed and Scopus search engines to identify all publications studying the incidence of breast cancer as a secondary malignancy following a diagnosis of thyroid cancer or thyroid cancer following a diagnosis of breast cancer. This demonstrated an increased risk of thyroid cancer as a secondary malignancy following breast cancer [OR = 1.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.44-1.67] and an increased risk of breast cancer as a secondary malignancy following thyroid cancer (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09-1.26). There is a clear increase in the odds of developing either thyroid or breast cancer as a secondary malignancy after diagnosis with the other. Here, we review this association and current hypothesis as to the cause of this correlation.