ABSTRACT
To identify the risk factors for posterior right recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis [PRRLN-LNM] in papillary thyroid carcinoma [PTC]. We conducted a retrospective study of 389 patients with primary PTC who underwent right lobectomy or total thyroidectomy, and comprehensive right or bilateral central compartment dissection [CCD] with or without lateral neck dissection [LND] between January 2010 and May 2013 at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Micro-Invasive Surgery of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China. The clinicopathological findings were investigated, and relative risk factors for PRRLN-LNM were analyzed. Central compartment LNM were present in 50.9% [198/389], and PRRLN-LNM were present in 12.6% [49/389] of patients, wherein 3.1% [12/389] had PRRLN-LNM only. A multivariate analysis revealed that younger age [