[Detection, identification and visualization of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy--still a surgical dilemma].
OBJECTIVE
Based on their on experience the authors express their opinion on routine detection and visualization of the NLR during radical surgery of the thyroid gland. They describe standard and alternative steps of surgery leading to protection of the recurrent nerve.


METHODS
The authors evaluated a group of 735 patients operated during the last thirty nine months which comprised 87% total thyroidectomies, 11.6% total lobectomies, the remainder were almost total operations. The number of visualized nerves was 1367.


RESULTS
Unilateral temporary damage of the NLR leading to temporary pareses of the vocal cords was recorded in 19 patients, i.e. 1.39%, bilateral transient paresis in one case, i.e. 0.07%. Permanent damage of one vocal cord after severing of the NLR occurred in 11 patients, i.e. 0.8%, bilateral lesions of the vocal cords were not recorded.


CONCLUSIONS
There are no extensive statistics of thyroid operations without reports on damage of the NLR. With the increasing number of radical operations of the gland also the number of departments increased which recommend unequivocally to seek and visualize the NLR. The authors results support this point of view. They use most frequently a modification of Wang's method and consider as the smallest extent of visualization of the NLR the distance between the branching of the inferior thyroid artery and the entry of the NLR into the larynx.
Dvorák
J
J
Chirurgické oddĕlení nemocnice Karlovy Vary.
Kubín
S
S
Schuster
J
J
Hlavatý
T
T
D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D012009:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D061226:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; D013965:Thyroidectomy