Related Experiment Video For frozen sections
Updated: May 19, 2026
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Frozen biopsy of central compartment in papillary thyroid cancer: quantitative nodal analysis
Yun-Sung Lim1, Sung-Won Choi, Yoon Se Lee
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
Background:
Nodal metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) usually occurs in the central compartment of the ipsilateral neck and spreads laterally. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of frozen biopsy for quantitative nodal evaluation of central neck metastasis in PTC.
Methods:
In all, 252 patients with PTC underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral central neck dissection (CND). All tissues from ipsilateral CND were examined by frozen biopsy.
Results:
Among them, 53% of patients had central neck metastasis. The sensitivity and specificity of frozen biopsy for central neck metastasis were 92% and 99%, respectively. The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 99% and 84%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy for the exact number of metastatic nodes was 91% compared to permanent biopsy.
Conclusions:
Frozen biopsy for quantitative analysis of central compartment is a useful tool for the precise evaluation of central lymphatic status intraoperatively with a high sensitivity and specificity.
