A Non-recurrent Laryngeal Nerve that was Unnoticed in a Preoperative Imaging Study: A Case Report.
10.16956/kjes.2007.7.3.173
- Author:
Duck Hyoun JEONG
1
;
Jin Cheol JEONG
;
Jong Ho YOON
Author Information
1. Department of Surgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. jjong126@paran.com
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Non-recurrent laryngeal nerve;
Aberrant subclavian artery;
Preoperative diagnosis
- MeSH:
Diagnosis;
Female;
Humans;
Laryngeal Nerves*;
Neck;
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve;
Subclavian Artery;
Thyroid Gland;
Thyroid Neoplasms;
Thyroidectomy;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed;
Vocal Cord Paralysis;
Vocal Cords
- From:Korean Journal of Endocrine Surgery
2007;7(3):173-175
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
A non-recurrent laryngeal nerve is a rare nerve anomaly that is associated with a developmentally aberrant subclavian artery. During thyroidectomy,this aberrant nerve may become inadvertently damaged, causing permanent ipsilateral vocal cord paralysis. However, it is possible to predict the presence of a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve by preoperative diagnosis of an aberrant subclavian artery. We report a case of thyroid surgery associated with a right non-recurrent laryngeal nerve that was unnoticed preoperatively in a CT scan of the neck, but was encountered incidentally during the thyroidectomy. The preoperative CT scan showed a retroesophageal aberrant right subclavian artery, but it was unnoticed. The female patient underwent a total thyroidectomy with central compartment node dissection for a thyroid cancer. The recurrent laryngeal nerve on the left side was identified, as was the non-recurrent laryngeal nerve on the right side. Postoperatively, the patient had normal vocal cord function. It is possible to predict preoperatively a right non-recurrent laryngeal nerve by identifying an aberrant right subclavian artery on the CT scan of the neck, which likely enables prevention of vocal cord paralysis.
