Objective:To investigate the value of jugulo-omohyoid lymph nodes(JOHLN) for the prediction of lateral cervical lymph nodes metastasis behind internal jugular vein in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC) and its clinical significance.Methods:The clinical data of 220 patients who underwent lateral neck dissection in our center were retrospectively analyzed, and the early warning effect and clinical significance of JOHLN on lymph node metastasis of the posterior internal jugular vein were analyzed.Results:In this study, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of JOHLN for predicting lymph node metastasis in the posterior group of internal jugular vein were 83.5%, 46.4%, 82.0%, 49.1%, and 74.1%, respectively. The accuracy rate for JOHLN prediction of upper tumor was 84.3%; In this study, side neck skip metastasis was found in 11 cases, all of which were JOHLN metastasis, upper tumors were found in 9 cases and 2 were located in the middle. Among the skip metastases, 6 cases had lymph node metastasis in the posterior group of internal jugular vein, and they were all upper tumors.Conclusions:JOHLN can effectively predict the risk of lateral neck metastasis. Especially for the upper PTC, preoperative evaluation of JOHLN can help decision-making of lateral neck lymph node dissection.