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Impedance-Based Detection of Cervical Lymph-Node Involvement in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Human Model Study Publisher



Ataee H1, 2 ; Seraj M1, 3 ; Mahdavi R1, 2 ; Fardoost A1 ; Shafiee A1, 4 ; Shamsi K1, 3 ; Fattahi M2, 5, 6 ; Ebrahiminik H7, 8 ; Hoseinpour P1, 9 ; Sane S10 ; Ghazimoghaddam M10 ; Akbari ME3 ; Abdolahad M1, 2, 6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Nano Bioelectronics Devices Lab (NBEL), Cancer Electronics Research Group, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. UT and TUMS Cancer Electronics Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Farmanieh Hospital, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Student Research Committee, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Department of Surgical Oncology, Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Department of Interventional Radiology and Radiation Sciences Research Center, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  8. 8. Interventional Radiology Department, Tirad Imaging Institute, Tehran, Iran
  9. 9. SEPAS Pathobiology Laboratory, Tehran, Iran
  10. 10. Armin Pathobiology Laboratory, Tehran, Iran

Source: Surgery Today Published:2025


Abstract

Purpose: Current diagnostic modalities for differentiating between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes in patients with thyroid cancer are imprecise and time-consuming. The real-time intraoperative detection of malignancy in suspicious lesions could improve the medical management of these patients. This human study was undertaken to evaluate a precise, newly developed Electrical Lymph-Node Scanning (ELS) system to facilitate the effective treatment of cervical LNs in thyroid cancer patients. Methods: Using the ELS, we examined a collective 109 radiologically suspicious lymph nodes from 36 patients after dissection and compared the ELS results with the histopathological findings. Results: A total of 27 involved lymph nodes were correctly diagnosed, while 75 reactive or free lymph nodes were correctly identified as uninvolved lymph nodes by ELS (as 3 false negatives and 4 false positives) with total sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 94.9%, respectively. The corresponding negative and positive predictive values were 87.1% and 96.2%, respectively. Conclusions: Results from this clinical study demonstrate the value of the ELS as a surgical assist adjunct for differentiating equivocal lesions during neck dissection surgery for patients with different types of thyroid cancer. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.