Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Well Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

The management of occult cervical lymph node metastasis in well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) is controversial. Given the risks of hypocalcemia, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and increased operative time with a central compartment neck dissection (CCND), a routine adoption of prophylactic lymph node dissection has not been accepted by many as a standard management for occult metastasis (Henry et al., 1998; Pereira et al., 2005; Shen et al., 2010). Conversely, other thyroid surgeons feel that the complication rate is low and that the benefits of CCND outweigh the risks (Anand et al., 2009; Haigh et al., 2000; Keleman et al., 1998; Pelizzo et al., 2001; Pitman et al., 2003; Rettenbacher et al., 2000). As a result, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has gained an increase in popularity in recent years.