Recurrent and superior laryngeal nerve injury in thyroid surgery: literature review

Authors

  • Abdullatif Mahyoub Department of General Surgery, East Jeddah Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Alaa A. Aljohani General Practitioner, King Faisal Hospital, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
  • Abdullah J. Althobaiti College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
  • Sami S. Alharbi General Practitioner, King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia
  • Abdulaziz A. Alahmary General Practitioner, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Raeed S. Algarni College of Medicine, Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Sultanah K. Alamoudi College of Medicine, Ibn Sina National College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Munirah S. Alshahrani College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • Turki M. Alkhaldi Senior Registrar, Department of General Surgery, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia
  • Abdulhakim H. Alqubaishi College of Medicine, Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Kaled A. Marzogi College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20210002

Keywords:

Recurrent laryngeal nerve, Thyroidectomy, Superior laryngeal nerve, Intraoperative nerve monitoring

Abstract

Laryngeal nerve injury is considered one of the most common complications after thyroidectomy. It is associated with decreased quality of life because it will result in hoarseness of voice and aspiration. Identification of the risk factors and procedures to decrease the injury is crucial for handling laryngeal nerve injury. We searched the MEDLINE database using PubMed. Two independent reviewers reviewed the resulting papers and reviewed them based on our inclusion criteria. Based on the review results, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is higher than the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, but it is mainly due to under-reporting of the external branch of superior laryngeal nerve injury. Cancer surgery, surgeon experience, workload, re-operative procedures, and extent of surgery increased the incidence of the laryngeal nerve injury. Handling of these risk factors combined with visual dissection and inspection and/or intraoperative nerve monitoring decreased the incidence of the nerve injury. In conclusion, laryngeal nerve injury is a common post thyroidectomy complication. Anatomical dissection and visual inspection combined with intraoperative nerve monitoring is the most suitable option in high-risk thyroid surgeries.

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Published

2021-01-27

How to Cite

Mahyoub, A., Aljohani, A. A., Althobaiti, A. J., Alharbi, S. S., Alahmary, A. A., Algarni, R. S., Alamoudi, S. K., Alshahrani, M. S., Alkhaldi, T. M., Alqubaishi, A. H., & Marzogi, K. A. (2021). Recurrent and superior laryngeal nerve injury in thyroid surgery: literature review. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(2), 862–866. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20210002

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Section

Review Articles