Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Blue Dye Method for Sentinel Lymph Nodes Mapping in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Introduction: In Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC), the sentinel lymph node (SLN) method has become analternative to elective LN dissection for people who have PTC that has been shown to be absent from nodes.Aim of work: To discover how accurate the blue dye method in mapping SLNs in PTC, especially as a way to findhidden metastases very early in central LNs (level VI).Patients and methods: A prospective clinical study was done with 30 patients who were found to have PTCby (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) FNAC. There was no age, gender, tumour size, multiple sites, or bilateralitylimits. All of the volunteers had neck ultrasound to evaluate neck lymph nodes and a laryngoscopic review of theirvoice cord function before surgery.Results: The results showed that there were no statistically significant changes between the levels of totalcalcium (Ca²⁺), ionised calcium, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) before and after surgery. The SLN mapping hada total diagnostic accuracy of 83.3%, with a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 100%, a negative predictive valueof 50%, and a positive predictive value of 100%, preoperative serum thyroglobulin was highly positive in 60%of the patients while postoperative level was undetectable in 100% of the patients. The average hospital stay was2.25±0.72 days.Conclusion: As a result, the blue dye method for SLN mapping in PTC is a useful and accurate way to find LNsinvolvement. This approach can guide surgeons to perform more selective central lymph node dissection only inpatients with pathologically involved SNs.