الملخص الإنجليزي
Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis is a devastating complication after thyroid surgery. Although
the incidence has decreased from 17% to as low as 1.5% with evolution of surgical technique, it still
remains high in cases involving re-exploration, malignancy, radiation exposure, and large goitres.1 Some
of the important causes of RLN injury during thyroid surgery are application of excessive stretch, pressure,
suction, electrocautery and ischaemia which may go unnoticed during surgery. Symptoms of RLN palsy are
dysphonia, dysphagia, aspiration, voice alteration and life threatening dyspnoea from airway obstruction.1,2
Thus, although the incidence of permanent paresis of the RLN after thyroidectomy is low, it can have serious
consequences and is of significant medicolegal importance. It is therefore vitally important that during the
perioperative period both the anaesthesiologist and the surgeon assess the vocal cord function (VCF) of a
patient undergoing thyroidectomy.
