A Case of Nonrecurrent Inferior Laryngeal Nerve.
- Author:
Guk Haeng LEE
1
;
Soon Uk KWON
;
Yong Jeong KIM
;
Byeong Cheol LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve;
Thyroidectomy;
Aberrant subclavian artery
- MeSH:
Aorta, Thoracic;
Arteries;
Carotid Artery, Common;
Esophagus;
Humans;
Incidence;
Neck Dissection;
Neoplasm Metastasis;
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve*;
Spine;
Subclavian Artery;
Thyroid Gland;
Thyroid Neoplasms;
Thyroidectomy;
Vocal Cord Paralysis;
Vocal Cords
- From:Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
2000;43(6):674-677
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Damages on the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during thyroid surgery is the most common iatrogenic cause of vocal cord paralysis. Identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and meticulous surgical techniques can significantly decrease the incidence of this complication. The nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is an exceedingly rare anomaly of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is associated with abnormal development of the aortic arch, where the innominate (brachiorephalic) artery is not found and the right common carotid artery rises directly from the aortic arch. The aberrant right subclavian artery can always be felt against the vertebral column behind the esophagus. Surgeons need to be aware of the positions of these arteries to avoid damaging them. We experienced a case of nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve in the right side with the aberrant right subclavian artery. The patient received a total thyroidectomy with neck dissection for thyroid carcinoma with nodal metastasis. Incidentally, we also found nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve, and also found an aberrant right subclavian artery by the computed tomography scan. The patient presented transient vocal cord paralysis but gained complete recovery of vocal cord mobility after one and a half month later.
