The relation of recurrent laryngeal nerve to inferior thyroid artery and extralaryngeal nerve branching may increase the risk of vocal cord paralysis in thyroidectomy

• DOI: 10.1007/s00423-024-03392-y
• Publication Date: 2024-06-27T05:01:51Z
• Authors: Nurcihan Aygun; Mehmet Taner Unlu; Ozan Caliskan; Mehmet Kostek; Adnan Isgor; Mehmet Uludag
• Keywords: Male; Adult; Adolescent; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve; Research; Thyroid Gland; Middle Aged; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; Postoperative Complications; 0302 clinical medicine; Risk Factors; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; Thyroidectomy; Humans; Female; Vocal Cord Paralysis; Retrospective Studies; Aged

Abstract Purpose The anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) are common during thyroidectomy. We aimed to evaluate the risk of RLN paralysis in case of its anatomical variations, retrospectively.

Methods The patients with primary thyroidectomy between January 2016 and December 2019 were enrolled. The effect of age, gender, surgical intervention, neuromonitorisation type, central neck dissection, postoperative diagnosis, neck side, extralaryngeal branching, non-RLN, relation of RLN to inferior thyroid artery (ITA), grade of Zuckerkandl tubercle on vocal cord paralysis (VCP) were investigated.

Results This study enrolled 1070 neck sides. The extralaryngeal branching rate was 35.5%. 45.9% of RLNs were anterior and 44.5% were posterior to the ITA, and 9.6% were crossing between the branches of the ITA. The rate of total VCP was 4.8% (transient:4.5%, permanent: 0.3%). The rates of total and transient VCP were significantly higher in extralaryngeal branching nerves compared to nonbranching nerves (6.8% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.018; 6.8% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.006, respectively). Total VCP rates were 7.2%, 2.5%, and 2.9% in case of the RLN crossing anterior, posterior and between the branches of ITA, respectively (p = 0.003). The difference was also significant regarding the transient VCP rates (p = 0.004). Anterior crossing pattern increased the total and transient VCP rates 2.8 and 2.9 times, respectively.

Conclusion RLN crossing ITA anteriorly and RLN branching are frequent anatomical variations increasing the risk of VCP in thyroidectomy that cannot be predicted preoperatively. This study is the first one reporting that the relationship between RLN and ITA increased the risk of VCP.