Santa Monica Thyroid Diagnostic Center Lab Certification

To: General Endocrinologists and Thyroid Surgeons

After completing my American College of Endocrinology certification in endocrine neck ultrasound, ECNU, I applied for certification of my endocrine neck ultrasound lab by the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine AIUM.  On 8/12/2010 was informed that my referral ultrasound lab was certified. This means that I can now offer my tertiary care clinical thyroidology interventional ultrasound services to general endocrinologists and thyroid surgeons without a consult. I can do studies for you by request. I will not need to do a consultation. I will report my findings directly to you. The patient will be treated similar to a visit to radiology, and not as my new patient.

Some ways I can help you include:

1. Recurrent biopsy proven benign thyroid nodule with at least 50% cyst fluid for PEI ethanol injections instead of the old method of surgical lobectomy.
2. Pre-Op lymph node mapping in FNA positive thyroid nodules, to help surgeons determine the extent of the first surgery. 30% of the time this causes a change in the extent of first surgery to include lateral neck dissections.
3. Long term yearly lymph node mapping for follow up of thyroid cancer, instead of I/131 body scans.  This is the recommended method to follow cancer patients.
4. Thyroid cancer lymph node PEI ethanol ablation in recurrent disease in a previously operated lateral or central neck.
5. Parathyroid ultrasound for rapid localization of the adenoma, with confirming “gentle” one stick USGFNA and PTH washout.
6. Locate the hard to feel, biopsy proven recurrent cancer lymph nodes for the thyroid surgeon, by my tiny USG injection of methylene blue dye on anterior surface of the cancer node one hour before surgery.

Thanks,

Richard Guttler MD