Predictive Value of Calcium Test for Preoperative Diagnosis of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma in Patients With Moderately Elevated Basal Calcitonin.

Objective: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) can be very aggressive, and early diagnosis is based on routine measurement of serum calcitonin (CT) and RET genetic testing for hereditary forms. Basal serum CT (bCT) concentrations are useful in the early detection of MTC, although it is still unclear whether they can also be used for the differential diagnosis between MTC and C-cell hyperplasia (CCH). Since false-positive results can be obtained with the basal measurement of CT, a provocative test to evaluate stimulated CT (sCT) is often needed.

Risk Factors for Intraoperative Hypertension during Surgery for Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and identify risk factors for the occurrence of intraoperative hypertension (IOH) during surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT).

Subjects And Methods: The study included 269 patients surgically treated between January 2008 and January 2012 for pHPT. IOH was defined as an increase in systolic blood pressure ≥20% compared to baseline values which lasted for 15 min.

Improvement of quality of life in patients with benign goiter after surgical treatment.

Purpose: A quality of life (QoL) assessment is considered an important outcome measure in the treatment of benign thyroid diseases. The aims of this study were to analyze the impact of different surgical treatments on QoL in patients with benign thyroid diseases and to evaluate factors correlating with the QoL outcomes.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted.