The parathyroid glands are the key endocrine glands that regulate calcium-phosphor metabolism in human body. However, due to the small size, hidden location and frequent variations of the parathyroid glands, it is extremely difficult for the positioning and recognition of the parathyroid glands to protect its function during thyroid surgery. It is likely to cause damage to the parathyroid glands, thereby leading to a decline in their function. This leads to symptoms such as decreased blood calcium concentration and hand-foot convulsions, and in severe cases, it can even cause death. In recent years, researchers have found that intraoperative application of fluorescence imaging technology can image the parathyroid glands and their blood supply. This has led to its extensive application in the field of parathyroid gland recognition and protection. It has attracted more and more researchers’ attention, which has become a research hotspot. Since this technique is still in its early stage of research both domestically and internationally, its clinical application methods and effectiveness are still controversial. In this paper, we retrospectively collected the relevant domestic and international literatures, and reviewed on the application of fluorescence imaging technology in parathyroid protection.