The function of carbon nanoparticles to improve lymph node dissection and identification of parathyroid glands during thyroid reoperation for carcinoma

To evaluate the function of carbon nanoparticles during the thyroid reoperation for carcinoma, we conducted this study by retrospectively analyzing the data of patients who underwent at least completion thyroidectomy with bilateral central lymph nodes dissection for thyroid carcinoma from January 2009 to June 2016. The clinicopathologic characteristics and surgical details were compared between the patient who accepted intraoperative carbon nanoparticles injection and those who accepted nothing injection during the surgery. The main monitoring indicators were the number of dissected lymph nodes and metastatic lymph nodes in central zone, the number of identified parathyroid glands and autoplastic parathyroid glands and unintentionally resected parathyroid glands. A total of 69 patients were enrolled into the carbon nanoparticles group and 128 patients were enrolled into the control group. The average number of lymph nodes harvested in the central zone was higher in the carbon nanoparticles group than that in the control group (11.2 ± 5.7 vs 7.7 ± 4.0, P < .001), so was the average number of metastatic lymph nodes (4.5 ± 4.5 vs 2.7 ± 2.9, P = .004). The average number of identified parathyroid gland was greater in the carbon nanoparticles group than that in the control group (2.4 ± 1.2 vs 1.6 ± 1.1, P < .001). The average number of autoplastic parathyroid gland was comparable between the 2 groups (0.6 ± 0.6 vs 0.4 ± 0.7, P = .052). But the average number of unintentionally resected parathyroid gland was less in the carbon nanoparticles group than that in the control group (0.1 ± 0.2 vs 0.2 ± 0.4, P = .007). Carbon nanoparticles can improve lymph nodes dissection and identification of parathyroid gland during thyroid reoperation for carcinoma.