Sentinel lymph node biopsy in papillary thyroid cancer / 中华内分泌外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the reliability and feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in papillary thyroid carcinoma ( PTC ) using methylene blue staining techniques.Methods Nineteen patients,older than 45,with PTC were included in the study.No case had clinical evidence of cervical lymph node involvement(cNO).Methylene blue was injected around the tumor during surgery.The stained lymph nodes were dissected.Subtotal thyroidectomy and modified radical neck dissection were performed.Both the bulk specimen and SLN were submitted for routine histology.Results The sentinel lymph nodes( SLN )were identified in 18 cases,with SLN positive in 13 cases.The sensitivity and specificity of SLNB were 86.6％ and 94.4％ respectively.There was 1 case with SLN metastasis in the lateral neck,and 1 case with positive lymph node and negative SLN.Conclusion SLNB is sensitive in detecting cervical lymph node metastasis and has clinical significance in making operative plans for cN0 PTC.