Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve palsy in the immediate post- thyroidectomy period – a retrospective study from a tertiary care centre

Authors

  • Manoj Kumar N Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Rosenara Beegum T Assistant Professor, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Jacob Stephenson Associate Professor, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Keywords:

Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy, Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injury, Thyroidectomy

Abstract

Background: Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy is the second common complication after thyroid surgery. The prevalence of RLN palsy depends on various factors like surgical expertise, pathology and extent of the thyroid dissection. Institution specific prevalence rates can help in formulating methods to prevent the occurrence as well as the associated morbidity.Objective: This study is to estimate the prevalence of RLN palsy in a tertiary care institution. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 850 thyroidectomy cases done in a tertiary care centre from January 2017 to December 2018. Data analysis was performed using R software. Results: Prevalence of RLN palsy was 6.7%. Only 3 patients had intraoperative RLN Injury and one patient had documented vocal cord palsy on extubation. Prevalence of hoarseness in the immediate post-operative period was 6.3%.Conclusions: Prevalence of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve palsy was not high in our group. We had only 3 patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in 850 thyroidectomies. As we have included patients with post-operative hoarseness, a routine indirect laryngoscopy after surgery is warranted for exact prevalence assessment.

Keywords: Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy, Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injury, Thyroidectomy.

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Published

2020-10-24

How to Cite

N, M. K., T, R. B., & Stephenson, J. (2020). Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve palsy in the immediate post- thyroidectomy period – a retrospective study from a tertiary care centre. International Journal of Health and Clinical Research, 3(7), 62–65. Retrieved from https://ijhcr.com/index.php/ijhcr/article/view/265