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Updated: Aug 31, 2025
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
The incidence and features of Delphian lymph node involvement in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma
Abbas Alibakhshi1, Saman Sheikhi2, Seyed Mostafa Meshkati Yazd1
1Department of Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Introduction:
In papillary thyroid cancer patients, the extent of dissection is still a matter of debate. Evaluating Delphian lymph nodes (DLNs) during the surgery has been speculated as a valuable tool to determine the extent of dissection. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and features of DLNs involvement in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Method:
We conducted this cross-sectional study among surgical cases of papillary thyroid cancer. Patients were divided based on their DLNs involvement status. Their age, gender, location of the mass, lymphatic involvement, tumor size, tumor characteristics, pathology report, and operation note features were compared between the two groups. Definitive pathology slides of the patients were evaluated regarding DLN features.
Results:
Of the 61 patients (mean age: 38.2 ± 12.0), 45 (73.8%) were females. In 13 (21.3%) patients, DLNs involvement was reported. A statistically significant relationship was noted between DLNs involvement and other lymph nodes' involvement on the same side of the mass (P < 0.001), the opposite side (P = 0.041), and also central lymph nodes (P < 0.001). Vascular invasion was also significantly higher among patients with DLNs involvement (P = 0.012).
Conclusion:
Since DLNs involvement is significantly associated with extensive nodal involvement, intraoperative evaluation of DLNs is recommended to establish the extent to which dissection should be performed.
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