[Significance of the definition and detailing of the central neck compartment in the treatment of thyroid carcinoma].

The cervical lymph node metastasis is a risk factor for the high recurrence rate and low survival rate in patients with thyroid carcinoma (especially for age ≥45 years old), which is the most common head and neck carcinoma. The neck lymphatic metastasis, mostly occurring in the central neck compare, is diagnosed among 20%-90% of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. To definite the anatomic boundaries of the central lymph nodes and their subgroups is significantly important for thyroid carcinoma, such as the determination of surgical extent, the evaluation of prognosis and the choice of different treatment strategies. This paper aims to describe the anatomic boundaries and the components of the central neck compartment and the role of individual subgroups in thyroid carcinoma. We think that the central neck compartment is bounded superiorly by the hyoid bone, inferiorly by the innominate artery on the right and the corresponding axial plane on the left, laterally by the carotid arteries. The superior mediastinal lymph nodes should be the important subgroups of the central neck compartment in thyroid carcinoma. When the prophylactic central lymph node dissection for involved lymph nodes is performed in thyroid carcinoma, we should pay more attention to the superior mediastinal lymph nodes.