CQ18. Does Central Compartment Dissection Improve the Prognosis of Papillary Carcinoma Patients

Central node dissection is recommended for patients with lymph node swelling suspected of metastasis. However, it remains unclear whether the central compartment should be dissected for patients without obvious swollen lymph nodes on imaging studies such as ultrasonography. There are reports demonstrating that central node dissection improves patient prognosis, while studies presenting not only negative findings for the improvement in prognosis, but also an increase in risks of complications such as hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis have also been published. In this chapter, the discussion is on whether central node dissection reflects prognosis of patients with papillary carcinoma.