What's New
Jennifer Ogilvie, MD Joins the Division of Endocrine Surgery
Dr. Jennifer B Ogilvie has joined the NYU Division of Endocrine Surgery. Dr. Ogilvie's practice is limited to the surgical treatment of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal disease. She has special expertise in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery, including video-assisted thyroid and parathyroid surgery and retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. Dr. Ogilvie graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed general surgery residency training and a fellowship in Endocrine Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to coming to NYU, she spent four years as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, with an exclusively Endocrine Surgery practice.
Laparoscopic and Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy
Minimally invasive adrenalectomy has become the standard of care for most patients with adrenal tumors. Performed laparoscopically through tiny incisions through the side, or retroperitoneoscopically through small incisions in the back, minimally invasive adrenalectomy is a safe and extremely well tolerated procedure. Most patients are able to be discharged within 1-2 days after surgery and recover quickly. Our experienced Endocrine Surgeons work closely with specialized Endocrinologists, Radiologists and Pathologists to provide appropriate, safe and effective care for patients with adrenal tumors.
Video-Assisted Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
We are pleased to offer video-assisted thyroid and parathyroid surgery at NYU. This new surgical technique, developed in Italy, enables appropriately trained surgeons to perform thyroid and parathyroid surgery through incisions smaller than 1" in length. This technique is appropriate for only a limited number of patients meeting certain strict criteria related to the size of the nodule and the overall size of the thyroid. We strive to offer our patients the latest advances in endocrine surgery, always remembering that the safety and well being of our patients is most important. Dr. Jennifer Ogilvie will be performing video-assisted thyroid and parathyroid surgery at NYU.
Parathyroid Cryopreservation
We are pleased to announce that New York State has granted final approval to our new program of parathyroid cryopreservation, which will be performed in collaboration with the NY Blood Center. Most patients requiring parathyroid surgery have one overactive parathyroid gland. The remaining three parathyroids are normal and are left in place after the abnormal gland is removed. In some patients, all four parathyroids are abnormal and 3 ½ glands need to be removed. In other patients who have had previous thyroid or parathyroid surgery, it may not be possible to know how many parathyroid glands remain. Sometimes after parathyroid surgery in patients like these, the amount of parathyroid tissue remaining is inadequate to maintain normal calcium levels. In these situations, cryopreservation permits us to freeze a small piece of the patient's own parathyroid tissue, store it at the NY Blood Center, and transplant it back into the patient if the calcium level remains low after surgery. While this will be necessary in very few patients, it will significantly benefit some patients with complex parathyroid problems.
Intraoperative Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Monitoring
The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is located in the lower neck, directly behind the thyroid gland. An injury to this nerve during thyroid surgery can result in hoarseness. Fortunately, when thyroid surgery is performed by experienced surgeons, this complication is very rare. To further decrease the risk of hoarseness, intraoperative RLN monitoring is now performed routinely on patients undergoing thyroid surgery at NYU. Special monitoring electrodes are used so that the identity and function of the RLN can be continuously assessed as surgery progresses. The availability of this advanced technique reflects our constant commitment to patient safety and to minimizing the risks of surgery.
Dr. Patel Receives Research Grant
Dr. Kapel Patel, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Biochemistry, has received a grant of $50,000 to support his research into the intracellular molecular changes associated with the development of thyroid cancer. By understanding these fundamental changes within the cell, new approaches to the treatment of thyroid cancer may be devised. This highly competitive grant is awarded by the THANC Foundation in cooperation with the American Thyroid Association.
