title: [Anatomy of recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery: 198 cases report].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the surgical anatomy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery and provide theory basis for surgical experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surgical anatomy of recurrent laryngeal nerve of 201 sides of 198 cases were observed during thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy. The anatomical relationship of recurrent laryngeal nerve and inferior thyroid artery were recorded and classified as risk and safe types according to the recurrent laryngeal nerve easy to be injured or not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The safe type and risk type of 117 right sides were 84.6% and 15.4%, and that of 82 left sides were 92.7% and 7.3% respectively. That indicated the incidence of risk type of the right side was higher than that of the left side.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of risk type of the right side was higher than that of the left side and more attention should be paid during thyroid lobectomy of the right sides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Cancer Hospital, CAMS&PUMC, Beijing, 100021, China. yuyl@mail.ihep.ac.cn
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Qinghong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Pingzhang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012009:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D061226:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000098:blood supply; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*