Transoral Surgical Approach for Retropharyngeal Node Involvement in I-131-Negative 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography–Positive Recurrent Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Transoral pharyngotomy is a viable minimally invasive approach for resection of metastatic thyroid cancer in retropharyngeal lymph nodes in highly select patients. A few authors have already reported on its safe application with excellent outcomes. We herein describe a case where the technique is assisted with the Omniguide CO(2) laser system to safely access and remove a metastatic node in the retropharyngeal space of a 24 year-old Caucasian woman. Furthermore, her disease was I-131-negative and positron emission tomography-positive, demonstrating the technique is still feasible in this dedifferentiated cancer state.