Table 4.

Perioperative effect of lymph node dissection around left recurrent laryngeal nerve

Variables	VAME (n = 75, %)		p-value	RAME (n = 109, %)		p-value
	Yes (n = 40)	No (n = 35)		Yes (n = 70)	No (n = 39)
Operation time	321.9 ± 35.1	303.1 ± 39.6	0.114	326.3 ± 42.5	311.9 ± 47.4	0.211
Blood loss	188.2 ± 29.2	212.5 ± 26.3	0.917	189.2 ± 24.7	214.8 ± 76.3	0.258
Number of DLN	28.1 ± 10.2	15.5 ± 5.0	< 0.001	26.1 ± 7.8	22.0 ± 7.9	0.070
ICU stay, n	6 (15.0)	2 (5.7)	0.271	5 (7.1)	3 (7.7)	1.000
Length of ICU stay	7 (3–20)	7, 16	–	6 (4–21)	1, 3, 8	–
Postoperative stay	17.8 ± 6.5	20.2 ± 9.2	0.462	17.8 ± 5.6	18.5 ± 6.4	0.688
pT			1.000			0.875
T0–2	22 (55.0)	19 (54.3)		33 (47.1)	19 (48.7)
T3–4	18 (45.0)	16 (45.7)		37 (52.9)	20 (51.3)
pN			0.059			0.875
N0	20 (50.0)	25 (71.4)		33 (47.1)	19 (48.7)
N1–3	20 (50.0)	10 (28.6)		37 (52.9)	20 (51.3)
Overall complications	14 (35.0)	6 (17.1)	0.081	26 (37.1)	10 (25.6)	0.289
Recurrent nerve injury	9 (22.5)	2 (5.7)	0.041	14 (20.0)	2 (5.1)	0.035
Pulmonary infection	7 (17.5)	2 (5.7)	0.162	5 (7.1)	2 (5.1)	1.000
Ventilator-assisted ventilation	6 (15.0)	2 (5.7)	0.271	5 (7.1)	3 (7.7)	1.000
Anastomotic leakages	1 (2.5)	3 (8.6)	0.334	4 (5.7)	2 (2.6)	0.653
Tracheoesophageal fistula	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	2 (5.1)	0.291
Pleural effusion	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	2 (5.1)	0.291
Atelectasis	2 (5.0)	0	0.495	1 (1.4)	0	1.000
Surgical site infections	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	1 (2.6)	1.000
Chylothorax	1 (2.5)	0	1.000	1 (1.4)	0	1.000
Arrhythmia	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	1 (2.6)	1.000
Stroke	0	0	–	0	1 (2.6)	0.358
ARF	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	0	1.000
Chest infection	0	0	–	1 (1.4)	0	1.000

ARF acute renal failure, DLN dissected lymph node