Fine-Needle Pricking Test of the Parathyroid Gland during Thyroid Surgery in Predicting Parathyroid Function

Table 2

Fine-needle pricking test classification of parathyroid glands in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy plus central neck dissection.

	Right superior parathyroid	Right inferior parathyroid	Left superior parathyroid	Left inferior Parathyroid
Total no. of parathyroid glands identified	608	608	608	608
Score 2	447	518	456	532
Score 1	137	29	126	24
Score 0	24	61	26	52

Fine-needle pricking (FNP) score: FNP 0, the parathyroid has no blood oozing after the pricking, indicating the gland is not vascularized; FNP 2, the parathyroid has blood effusing out after the pricking, indicating that the gland is well vascularized; FNP 1, the parathyroid has blood oozing, but it is slow and small, and the slow blood oozing persist when it was wiped by gauze, suggesting that the gland is partially vascularized.