Anatomical Considerations of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve During Thyroidectomy

Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology 1993;9(2):183-192.
Published online November 30, 1993.

Kwang Wook Suh;Cheong Soo Park

갑상선 수술중 반회 후두 신경의 해부학적 고찰

서광욱;박정수

Abstract

This study reports a prospective analysis of anatomical variations of recurrent laryngeal nerves during 300 thyroidectomies. During thyroidectomies for variable thyroid diseases. the course of recurrent laryngeal nerve was completely isolated from root of neck to the inferior comus of thyroid cartilage. In left side, nerve(53.7%) predominantly ran posterior to the inferior thyroidal artery(p<0.05) but in right side there was no predominant pattern. There were three nonrecurrent laryngeal nerves in the right side. About half of the cases in both sides(51.2% in right, 50.5% in left side) had one or more branches before terminating at cricothyroidal muscles. The average length of branches from inferior comus of thyroid cartilage to the origination of individual branch were l2.0mm in right side and 13.3mm in left side. In right side, majority(50.7%) of nerves ran though paratracheal space but difference did not reach the statistical but in left side, majority(88.3%) ran through tracheoesophageal groove and it was the dominant pattern(p<0.01), the overall status of passages of the nerve were relatively straight in left side(straight 87.8%, oblique 52.1%).

Key Words: Recurrent laryngeal nerve, Thyroidectomy