ABSTRACT
As a result of sensitive thyroglobulin assays and widespread use of cervical ultrasound, endocrine surgeons are encountering patients with impalpable suspicious or frankly metastatic cervical lymph nodes in the follow-up phase after treatment for welldifferentiated thyroid cancer. The surgical excision of impalpable disease of recurrent or persistent thyroid cancer can represent a significant challenge which may require some means of intraoperative localization to ensure that affected nodes are removed. Surgeon-performed intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) can be used for guiding excision of suspicious but impalpable cervical nodes. The IOUS-guided excision technique is described. The successful application of IOUS to localize and guide resection of impalpable nodal recurrences of papillary thyroid carcinoma in two patients is reported. The utilization of IOUS to guide resection of impalpable pathological nodes in the context of thyroid carcinoma is a safe and practical technique which avoids the need for additional localization procedures and unnecessary potential morbidity for the patient.
How to cite this article
Biggar M, Wong C, Law M, Bennett IC. Intraoperative Ultrasound-guided Excision of Cervical Lymph Nodes for Recurrent Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. World J Endoc Surg 2013;5(2):45-49.
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