Comparison of Two Routes of Surgical Approach to Lateral Cervical Node Dissection in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients With Lateral Metastatic Disease: Randomized Clinical Trial
The objective of this study is to compare shoulder and neck morbidity and the effectiveness of cervical lateral nodal dissection in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and lateral metastases between the anterior and posterior approaches to the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM)
• Patients ≥ 18 years.
• Patients with macroscopic lymph node involvement identified by physical examination, imaging or intraoperatively in lateral neck.
• Patients with microscopic nodal involvement confirmed by FNAB (definition by the pathologist of suspected or confirmed metastatic papillary carcinoma according to the Bethesda criteria)
• Candidates for lateral lymph node dissection due to suspected or confirmed disease metastatic lymph nodes as defined by the treating surgeon.
• Patients requiring or not requiring thyroidectomy and/or central dissection concomitant with the dissection