The American Thyroid Association will hold its 89th Annual Meeting on October 30-November 3, 2019, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to hearing major speeches and awards, attendees can view the following posters and oral presentations on thyroid imaging and thyroid nodules and goiter.
- On Thursday, October 31, 2019, Dr. Catherine Starks, of Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, will give an oral presentation, “Reliability and Quality of YouTube Videos as a Source of Patient Information: Robotic Thyroid Surgery and Transoral Thyroid Surgery” (Oral 183). Because the Internet, and particularly YouTube, are often used as a source of a broad range of knowledge, Ms. Starks and her colleague analyzed the quality and reliability of the top videos related to robotic thyroid surgery or transoral thyroid surgery. Reliability and quality were assessed by using two universally recognized, five-point scoring systems. After analyzing 66 videos, Ms. Starks and her colleagues concluded that most YouTube videos on robotic or transoral thyroid surgery were of low quality and reliability. Because YouTube can be a valuable platform in providing information to patients, physicians can strive to provide more unbiased content to support patients’ decisions on surgery.
- On Friday, November 1, 2019, Dr. Fares Benmiloud, of Hopital Europeen Marseille in Marseille, France, will present the results of a randomized clinical trial assessing the use of intraoperative, near-infrared imaging systems to identify parathyroid glands and, ultimately to improve parathyroid preservation and reduce postoperative hypocalcemia. The study randomized 245 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy to conventional surgery or near-infrared-imaging-assisted surgery. The rate of and risk for temporary postoperative hypocalcemia were lower among patients undergoing near-infrared-imaging-assisted surgery, compared with the control group. The study therefore concluded that the use of near-infrared imaging to identify the parathyroid glands significantly improved parathyroid preservation and the rate of temporary postoperative hypocalcemia. The presentation is titled, “Use of Autofluorescence-based Detection of the Parathyroid Glands during Total Thyroidectomy and Risk of Postoperative Hypocalcemia: Results of the Multicenter Randomised Controlled PARAFLUO Trial” (Oral 26).
- Dr. Johnson Thomas, of Mercy in Springfield, Missouri, will give an oral presentation, “AiBx, a Deep Learning Model to Classify Thyroid Ultrasound Images” (Oral 27), on Friday, November 1, 2019. Existing classification systems for thyroid nodules are highly subjective, resulting in inter- and intra-reader variability. One of two women older than 50 may have a thyroid nodule, but the only way to exclude malignancy is through invasive procedures. Dr. Thomas and his colleagues created an artificial intelligence model based on ultrasound images of thyroid nodules from patients who underwent biopsy or thyroid surgery between February 2012 and February 2017. They created the model based on 482 nodules and tested it on 103 nodules from patients who underwent biopsy or thyroid surgery between March 2017 and July 2018. The artificial intelligence module was similar in negative predictive value to the ACR TIRADS and ATA classification system, but offered better sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value.
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The American Thyroid Association® (ATA) is dedicated to transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative community. ATA® is an international professional medical society with over 1,700 members from 70 countries around the world. Celebrating its 96th anniversary, the ATA® delivers its mission — transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative community — through several key endeavors:
- The publication of the highly regarded professional journals Thyroid®, Clinical Thyroidology®, and VideoEndocrinology
- Annual scientific meetings
- Biennial clinical and research symposia
- Research grant programs for young investigators
- Support of online professional, public, and patient educational programs
- Development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer
The ATA® promotes thyroid awareness and information through its online Clinical Thyroidology® for the Public (distributed free of charge to over 12,000 patients and public subscribers) and extensive, authoritative explanations of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA® website www.thyroid.org serves as a bonafide clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet.
AMERICAN THYROID ASSOCIATION® , ATA® , THYROID® , CLINICAL THYROIDOLOGY® , and the distinctive circular logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as trademarks of the American Thyroid Association® , Inc.