Revisiting Lore's retrograde thyroidectomy from the perspective of preserving the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Injury to the external branches of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) is the main reported cause of inexplicable post-thyroidectomy dysphonia (PTD) without recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury. Loré proposed a retrograde thyroidectomy (RT) technique in which the superior pole is dissected as a final step after the Berry ligament division, making this approach advantageous for protecting the EBSLN. However, evidence of this protective effect remains insufficient. We aimed to evaluate EBSLN function following RT and conventional thyroidectomy (CT) using postoperative electromyography (EMG).

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at a single tertiary center. Consecutive patients who had undergone CT or RT were included. Bilateral EMG of the cricot

SUBMITTER: Huh G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10506118 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature