Endoscopic Central Lymph Node Dissection via Breast Combined with Oral Approach for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Preliminary Study.

Abstract

To investigate the feasibility and necessity of endoscopic thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection via the combined breast and trans-oral approaches. Six patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent endoscopic total thyroidectomy with central node dissection via combined breast and trans-oral approaches from November 2014 to January 2015 in Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, were analyzed. After completion of endoscopic central lymph node dissection via the traditional breast approach, eight pieces of lymph nodes could still be dissected via the trans-oral approach. Two of these eight pieces were positive for thyroid cancer metastasis. It is advisable to perform endoscopic central lymph node dissection for thyroid carcinoma via the breast approach combined with the trans-oral approach.