Background Central neck dissection (CND) remains a controversial intervention for papillary
thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients with clinically negative nodes (cN0) in the central
compartment. Proponents state that CND in cN0 patients prevents locoregional recurrence,
while opponents deem that the risks of complications outweigh any potential benefit. Thus,
there remains conflicting results amongst studies assessing oncologic and surgical
outcomes in cN0 PTC patients who undergo CND. To provide clarity to this controversy, we …

Background The value of prophylactic central neck dissection (PCND) for papillary thyroid
carcinoma (PTC) with clinically evident lateral cervical lymph node metastases (cN1b)
remains unclear. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to
assess the efficacy and safety of PCND. Methods A comprehensive systematic search was
conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane library and Embase databases up to
September 2021 to identify eligible studies. Controlled clinical trials assessing therapeutic …