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The circumstances in which recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurs after surgery for benign thyroid disease: a retrospective study of 1026 patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2021

D Lenay-Pinon ,
A Biet-Hornstein ,
V Strunski  and
C Page
D Lenay-Pinon
Affiliation:
ENT and Head and Neck Department, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France
A Biet-Hornstein
Affiliation:
ENT and Head and Neck Department, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France
V Strunski
Affiliation:
ENT and Head and Neck Department, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France
C Page*
Affiliation:
ENT and Head and Neck Department, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France Infectious Agents, Resistance and Chemotherapy, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
*
Author for correspondence: Professor Cyril Page, Service d'ORL et de chirurgie de la face et du cou, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Amiens-Picardie, Hôpital Sud, F-80054 Amiens Cedex, France Email: page.cyril@chu-amiens.fr
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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the circumstances in which recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurs after thyroid surgery.

Methods

This study assessed 1026 patients who underwent surgery for benign thyroid disease over a seven-year period in a retrospective, single-centre study.

Results

With a total of 1835 recurrent laryngeal nerves at risk, there were 38 cases (2.07 per cent) of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and 8 (0.44 per cent) of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. No explanation was found for 10 of the 46 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. Among the 38 other cases, the probable causes included poor identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery, involuntary resection of the nerve and several other factors.

Conclusion

Apart from accidental resection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery, the causes of post-operative recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy are often unclear and likely multifactorial. Poor identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery is still the main cause of post-operative recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, even when intra-operative neuromonitoring is used.

Keywords

ThyroidSurgeryComplicationsVocal Fold PalsyRecurrent Laryngeal NerveVagus Nerve
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 7 , July 2021 , pp. 640 - 643
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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Footnotes

Prof C Page takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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