Objectives. Hemithyroidectomy is commonly performed in patients with low- to intermediate-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic central neck dissection on locoregional recurrence in patients undergoing hemithyroidectomy.Methods. A meta-analysis was performed of full-text publications published in English retrieved from the Embase database.Results. The rate of regional recurrence in the central compartment after hemithyroidectomy, with or without prophylactic central neck dissection, was 0.17% and 1.78%, respectively. This difference was statistically significant. Recurrence in the lateral compartment or contralateral thyroid was not affected by prophylactic central neck dissection; the overall rate of recurrence was 1.3% and 5.4%, respectively.Conclusion. Prophylactic central neck dissection significantly reduced the risk of recurrence in the central compartment in patients undergoing hemithyroidectomy.
The Extent of Therapeutic Central Compartment Neck Dissection in Unilateral cT1N1a or cT2N1a Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
