Analysis of the Clinical Value of Delphian Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Table 5

Relationship between the DLN and CLNM.

	DLN-positive	DLN-negative	value
Unilateral CLND (N = 372) n (%)
CLNM			<0.001
Yes	49 (79.0)	84 (27.1)
No	13(21.0)	226 (72.9)
No. of CLNM			<0.001
Mean ± SD	3.69 ± 2.38	2.06 ± 1.64
>5	14 (28.6)	6 (7.1)	0.01
1–5	35 (71.4)	78 (92.9)
Bilateral CLND (N = 150) n (%)
CLNM
Yes	40 (93.0)	40 (37.4)	<0.001
No	3 (7.0)	67 (62.6)
No. of CLNM
Mean ± SD	5.90 ± 4.62	2.95 ± 3.35	0.002
>5	19 (47.5)	1 (10.0)	<0.001
1–5	21 (52.5)	36 (90.0)

DLN, Delphian lymph node; CLND, central lymph node dissection; CLNM, central lymph node metastasis; No., number; SD, standard deviation.