[Predictors for central lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma]

In recent years, with the wide application of ultrasound in health examination, the incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma（PTMC） is increasing rapidly. There is more controversy about whether prophylactic central lymph node dissection（PCND） should be performed in PTMC patients with clinical lymph node negative（cN0）. Some clinical and pathological factors were associated with central lymph node metastasis in patients with PTMC. This paper review the risk factors for predicting central lymph node metastasis so as to screen high-risk PTMC patients who need to receive PCND, and guide clinicians to choose reasonable individualized surgery.