Abstract
The preoperative evaluation of the clinically NO neck and the operative management of cervical lymph nodes in patients with papillary and medullary thyroid cancer remains controversial. The appreciation that even patients with low-risk disease have a significant risk for recurrence has generated interest in a more comprehensive preoperative evaluation of the neck and has renewed debate on the extent of lymphadenectomy at the time of thyroidectomy. The authors recommend using preoperative ultrasound before thyroidectomy for all patients with thyroid cancer and before any subsequent surgeries for recurrent disease to identify the extent of lymph node metastases and thereby facilitate complete surgical removal of all gross disease in the neck. The optimal surgical procedure for removing cervical lymphadenopathy is compartment-oriented neck dissection based on the findings from preoperative ultrasound.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 623-630 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2007 |
Keywords
- Lymph node dissection
- Preoperative ultrasonography
- Thyroid carcinoma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology