Abstract:Objective To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of total thyroidectomy combined with central lymph node dissection in multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Methods Ninety patients with multifocal PTC who were treated in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected, and they were divided into the observation group (n = 45) and the control group (n = 45) by the envelope method. The control group was given total thyroidectomy, and the observation group was given total thyroidectomy combined with central lymph node dissection. The operative duration and intraoperative blood loss of the two groups were observed, and the differences of levels of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), blood calcium, thyroid globulin (Tg), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) before and after the operation were compared.Results The operative duration was longer and intraoperative blood loss was greater in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The differences of levels of iPTH, blood calcium, Tg, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and HIF-1α before and after the operation in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of transient paralysis of recurrent laryngeal nerve, hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in the observation group was 0.00%, which was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusions Total thyroidectomy combined with central lymphadenectomy exhibits therapeutic efficacy in multifocal PTC. It significantly reduces the serum levels of tumor markers and lowers the incidence of postoperative recurrence and metastasis. However, it has the disadvantages of long operative duration and multiple complications.