Evaluation of the clinical value of carbon nanoparticles as lymph node tracer in differentiated thyroid carcinoma requiring reoperation.

Background The incidence of parathyroid injury in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) who underwent reoperation is significantly higher than that incurred from the initial surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical value of carbon nanoparticles (CN) as tracers for lymph nodes to guide cervical lymph node dissection and protect the parathyroid during reoperation for DTC.