Regional metastatic pattern of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

The objective of the present study was to determine the pattern of lymphatic spread in papillary thyroid carcinoma with clinically positive nodes. Between 1999 and 2008, a total of 48 consecutive patients with clinical evidence of cervical lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma underwent 61 modified radical neck dissections (13 being bilateral) including levels II-VI. All neck dissection specimens were separated during surgery into levels and analysis was done with respect to the levels of neck. T value of tumor and demographic parameters were compared with the number of metastatic nodes with univariate analysis. The median number of pathologic nodes in neck dissection specimen was 7.0. The predominant site of metastasis was level VI (77%), followed by level III (69%), level IV (66%), and level II (46%). Level V showed 34% of nodal metastasis. Seven patients had level VII, and five patients had parapharyngeal lymph node dissections because of lymphatic involvement at these sites. There was no statistically significant correlation between T value, age, sex and the number of histologically positive lymph nodes (P = 0.39, P = 0.91 and P = 0.84, respectively). It was concluded that the high incidence of metastatic disease in levels II through VI supports the recommendation for level II through level VI neck dissection in patient with clinically positive neck disease.

The effect of arytenoid resection on functional results of cricohyoidopexy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of arytenoid resection on voice and swallowing function in patients who undergo supracricoid laryngectomy with cricohyoidopexy. STUDY DESIGN: A case series with chart review. According to the arytenoid number, patients were divided into two groups: 11 patients with two arytenoids and 9 patients with one arytenoid. The decannulation, nasogastric tube removal, and hospitalization times were noted. Maximum phonation time, average fundamental frequency, percent jitter, percent shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio were measured. Grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenicity and strain scale (for the perceptual evaluation of vocal quality), Voice Handicap Index (for self-assessment of the voice), and dysphagia score were used. RESULTS: The mean decannulation, nasogastric tube removal, and hospitalization time was 18.4, 40.2, and 32.7 days in patients with one arytenoid, whereas 8.8, 20.8, and 25.3 days in patients with two arytenoids, respectively. The differences were statistically significant. For all of the parameters that are associated with voice function and dysphagia, there was no statistically significant difference between one arytenoid and two arytenoids. CONCLUSION: Arytenoid resection may affect the swallowing function in the early postoperative period, but for voice and deglutition functions there was no difference between cricohyoidopexy with one arytenoid and two over the course of time.