Table 1.

Characteristics of patients

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria	Histopathologic features
Patients with preoperative cytological or histological proved diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer	Patients with severe co-morbidities (severe obesity, diabetes, infective or hematological conditions) Patients on steroid or immunosuppressive medications Patients undergoing thyroidectomy and latero-cervical lymphadenectomy Patients undergoing secondary surgery in the cervical region Patients undergoing thyroidectomy for locally advanced tumors Patients with goitres submerged in the thorax	251 papillary thyroid carcinoma 70 follicular thyroid carcinoma