Assessment of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury due to thyroid surgery in gorgan medical centers

Introduction: Thyroid surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed on the neck. There is a possibility of nerve injury and vocal cord paralysis due to the close anatomical relationship between recurrent laryngeal nerve and thyroid. Considering the importance of this study, it was performed to determine nerve damage during thyroid surgery. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients undergoing thyroidectomy at Gorgan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan Province, Iran, from ۲۰۱۶-۲۰۱۷. After providing a list of patients, their files were obtained. The demographic data relating to the type of surgery, type of pathology, and condition of the larynx after surgery were recorded. The patients were asked for a re-examination (if necessary), and the current condition of their larynx was determined. The collected data were recorded and analyzed in SPSS software (version ۱۶). Results: The statistical population of this study consisted of ۱۹۵ patients, among which ۱۲.۳% were male (۲۴ cases), and ۸۷.۷% were female (۱۷۱ patients). The type of surgery in ۶۵.۶% (n=۱۲۸), ۲۸.۷% (n=۵۶), and ۵.۶% (n=۱۱) cases was thyroidectomy, hemithyroidectomy, and subtotal thyroidectomy, respectively. It was revealed that the most common pathology was papillary carcinoma. In terms of complications, there were two cases of laryngeal nerve injury, which persisted in only one case of unilateral paralysis. The type of surgery in both cases was total thyroidectomy. Conclusions: Although recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is not common, in cases of total thyroidectomy, greater care should be taken to preserve the nerve.

Keywords:

Laryngeal , Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve , Thyroid