Occult nodal spread is frequently encountered in papillary thyroid carcinoma. SLN biopsy is safe and feasible in papillary thyroid cancer, however further studies are necessary to improve the diagnostic accuracy prior to routine clinical use.

Objective To assess the place of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy in the treatment of endometrial cancer. Design A retrospective uncontrolled case series. Setting Gynaecological Oncology Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead. Population Women with endometrial cancer referred to this centre from August 1992 to August 1997. Main outcome measures Success of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy, operative morbidity, and the length of hospital stay. Results Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy was successful in 35 of 40 women (88%). Five women required laparotomy. Two women sustained injury to the inferior epigastric vessels. One sustained injury to the small intestine requiring later laparotomy and three women required a blood transfusion. The mean hospital stay was 3.3 days (SD 1.5). Three women died of the disease within one year of their operation. Conclusion Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy is a feasible treatment for endometrial cancer. It can be performed successfully in high risk population who are medically unfit and overweight. However, a larger randomised study is required to assess the morbidity compared with the traditional open approach.

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