Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Visualization in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Thyroid Cancer
Published on: June 9, 2023
Radiological assessment of dissected cervical lymph nodes in level III affected by the area of supraomohyoid neck
Yohei Takeshita1,2, Yoshio Ohyama2,3, Soichiro Ibaragi2,4
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
Objectives:
To compare the number of dissected cervical lymph nodes in the anatomical level III with that in supraomohyoid neck dissection (SOHND) level III affected by the anatomical relationship between the omohyoid muscle and cricoid cartilage using contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) images to assess the validity of the current SOHND.
Methods:
CE-CT images of the patients who suffered from malignant tumours in the oral and maxillofacial regions were reviewed. The number of cervical lymph nodes both in the anatomical level III (area between the centre of the inferior border of the hyoid bone [HB] and the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage [CC]) and SOHND level III (area between HB and the intersection of the omohyoid muscle and internal jugular vein [OM-IJ]) were recorded, respectively.
Results:
The rate of patients whose number of lymph nodes in level III was affected by the positional relationship between the OM-IJ and CC was almost equal in males and females. As for the patients with OM-IJ below the CC, the number of lymph nodes in SOHND level III increased from that of anatomical level III. Females showed significantly higher values than males (P < .05). Meanwhile, for patients with OM-IJ at or above the CC, the number of lymph nodes in SOHND level III decreased from that of anatomical level III.
Conclusions:
The number of dissected cervical lymph nodes differed between the SOHND dissection area and levels I, II, and III. In most cases, SOHND dissects more cervical lymph nodes, especially in female patients.
