Backgrounds: This study aimed to evaluate usefulness of lateral sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in determining lateral neck dissection (LND) of patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).
Methods: Sixteen patients with MTC were enrolled in the study from January 2013 to June 2019. Intratumoral injection of technetium (Tc)-99m phytate followed by lymphoscintigraphy was performed preoperatively. Lateral sentinel lymph nodes were detected by a collimated gamma probe and underwent frozen analysis. Ipsilateral LND was performed in all patients to assess lateral LN status.
Results: The identification rate of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) detected by radioisotope was 87.5% (14 of 16 patients). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of frozen analyses were 66.7%, 100%, 100%, and 91.6%, respectively. Based on final histopathology, however, the diagnostic values of lateral SLNB were all 100%.
Conclusions: This study showed that lateral SLNB can be a promising surgical tool for decisions on LND in patients with MTC.
Keywords: lateral neck node; medullary thyroid cancer; radioisotope; sentinel lymph node biopsy; thyroid surgery.
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