Pathological evaluation of the accuracy of a fluorescence spectroscopy system for detecting parathyroid glands.

Purpose: A fluorescence-based technique for the detection of parathyroid glands (PGs) intraoperatively was previously reported. The technique was based on the phenomenon in which PGs emit autofluorescence when exposed to near-infrared light and we undertook an evaluation to consider the pathological accuracy of the method.

Methods: The study comprised 17 patients (18 specimens) who underwent thyroid surgery at Kushiro City General Hospital between November 2018 and June 2019.