Use of ultrasound in the evaluation of the vocal folds following thyroidectomy
Abstract
Introduction: Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury ranges from 1.4 to 5.1% following surgery involving the thyroid gland. Some associated risk factors include extensive lymphadenectomy, thyroid carcinoma, Graves’ disease and re-intervention. The introduction of ultrasound in daily practice offers advantages such as safe examination, easy reproducibility, and rendering real time imaging, inter alia. This article describes the use of ultrasound in the evaluation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve via the visualization of the vocal folds.
Objective: To describe the use of ultrasound in thyroidectomy for evaluation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve via the vocal-fold movement.
Results: The article discusses 2 female patients undergoing thyroidectomy due to different gland pathologies. Before the start of the surgical procedure, vocal fold mobility was evaluated in real time using ultrasound. The recurrent laryngeal nerve was identified during surgery and the integrity of the vocal fold mobility was again assessed during phonation under ultrasound visualization.
Conclusions: Ultrasound may be a tool for the evaluation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in surgical procedures involving the thyroid gland.
References
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