Central Neck Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 대한갑상선학회지

ABSTRACT

Considering the relatively good prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma, surgical treatment should be conducted with an adequate method and extent of surgery with minimal complications. The optimal indications and extent of central neck dissection in papillary thyroid carcinoma has been introduced by variable guidelines. However, there have been controversies in several aspects regarding central neck dissection (i.e., prophylactic versus therapeutic, unilateral versus bilateral), which will remain until a large prospective study is completed. Successful management of cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma requires thorough preoperative evaluation, knowledge on adequate indications and extent of surgery and considerations on surgical anatomy. In this article, we reviewed the rationales for optimal central neck dissection in papillary thyroid carcinoma based on recent studies and presented the surgical strategy and skills based on personal experience of a single surgeon.