Is Intraoperative Calcitonin Monitoring Useful to Modulate the Extension of Neck Dissection in Patients With Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma?

Abstract

Intraoperative calcitonin monitoring is not highly accurate in predicting the completeness of surgical resection. In the present series, relying on IO-CT would result in limited resection in about one third of the patients with residual neck disease and in unnecessary lateral neck dissection in about 20 % of the cured patients.