ObjectiveTo explore the value of fluorescence tracer technique in sentinel lymph node (SLN) orientation of cN0 papillary thyroid cancer. MethodsThe total clinical data of 40 cT1-3N0M0 thyroid cancer patients admitted from January 2015 to January 2016 in our hospital were collected, and the SLN with indocyanine green (ICG) as fluorescent trace agent were observed and detected, and the effect of ICG detecting SLN and the guide role of SLNB on the dissection of the central area of neck lymph nodes by intraoperative frozen biopsy pathology and postoperative paraffin pathology were analyzed. ResultsA total of 40 thyroid cancer patients were treated by SLNB and then conducted by the dissection of the central area of neck lymph nodes, and 37 cases detected SLN, so the detection rate was 92.5% (37/40). And a total of 98 SLNs were detected, 1-5 for each case, average of 2.65/case. Intraoperative frozen pathological detected 28 cases of patients with metastases in SLN, and 9 patients without metastasis, including 1 case with postoperative pathology detecting micrometastasis in SLN and other 8 cases without metastasis in the central area of neck lymph nodes. Three cases who were not detected the SLN showed no metastases in final postoperative paraffin pathology. The SLNB of ICG fluorescent tracer was with a sensitivity of 96.6% (28/29), false-negative rate of 3.45% (1/29). ConclusionThe fluorescent tracer technique can guide the dissection of the central of neck lymph node of cN0 thyroid cancer patients accurately with a high detection rate and advantages of high sensitivity in detecting the SLN of thyroid cancer.