Project description:IntroductionThe superior thyroid artery, the main atrial supply of neck region, is branched from the external carotid artery as a first branch, but it may also arise from the common carotid artery and its bifurcation. The external branch of superior laryngeal nerve runs parallel to it and later crossing the artery either above or below the upper pole of the thyroid gland.ObjectiveThis study aimed at evaluating the variations of the origin of superior thyroid artery and its relationship with the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve.MethodsA descriptive study was conducted on 43 embalmed cadavers. The anterior triangle of the neck region was dissected bilaterally. The presence or absence of STA and its origin, branching pattern, relationship with the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, level of origin in relation to the lamina of the thyroid cartilage and level of carotid bifurcation were observed and recorded.ResultThe superior thyroid artery arises from the external carotid artery in 44.2%, common carotid bifurcation in 27.9% and common carotid artery in 26.7% of cadavers. In one of the cadaver, the superior thyroid artery arises from lingual artery. The origin of superior thyroid artery was significantly associated with its branching pattern and level of common carotid artery bifurcation. The mean distance from the upper pole of the thyroid gland to the level where an external branch of superior laryngeal nerve turns medially from superior thyroid artery was found to be 1.04cm.ConclusionThe wide range of variations of the superior thyroid artery on its origin and relationship with adjacent structures is a common phenomenon. The clinicians should be aware of those variations.
Project description:The external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) is surgically relevant since its close anatomical proximity to the superior thyroid vessels. There is heterogeneity in the EBSLN anatomy and EBSLN damage produces changes in voice that are very heterogenous and difficult to diagnose. The reported prevalence of EBSLN injury widely ranges. EBSLN iatrogenic injury is considered the most commonly underestimated complication in endocrine surgery because vocal assessment underestimates such event and laryngoscopic postsurgical evaluation does not show standardized findings. In order to decrease the risk for EBSLN injury, multiple surgical approaches have been described so far. IONM provides multiple advantages in the EBSLN surgical approach. In this review, we discuss the current state of the art of the monitored approach to the EBSLN. In particular, we summarize, providing our additional remarks, the most relevant aspects of the standardized technique brilliantly described by the INMSG (International Neuromonitoring Study Group). In conclusion, in our opinion, there is currently the need for more prospective randomized trials investigating the electrophysiological and pathological aspects of the EBSLN for a better understanding of the role of IONM in the EBSLN surgery.
Project description:The internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (ibSLN) may be injured during anterior approaches to the cervical spine, resulting in loss of laryngeal cough reflex, and, in turn, the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Such a risk dictates the knowledge regarding anatomical details of this nerve. In this study, 24 ibSLN of 12 formaldehyde fixed adult male cadavers were used. Linear and angular parameters were measured using a Vernier caliper, with a sensitivity of 0.1 mm, and a 1 degrees goniometer. The diameter and the length of the ibSLN were measured as 2.1+/-0.2 mm and 57.2+/-7.7 mm, respectively. The ibSLN originates from the vagus nerve at the C1 level in 5 cases (20.83%), at the C2 level in 14 cases (58.34%), and at the C2-3 intervertebral disc level in 5 cases (20.83%) of the specimens. The distance between the origin of ibSLN and the bifurcation of carotid artery was 35.2+/-12.9 mm. The distance between the ibSLN and midline was 24.2+/-3.3 mm, 20.2+/-3.6 mm, and 15.9+/-4.3 mm at the level of C2-3, C3-4, and at the C4-5 intervertebral disc level, respectively. The angles of ibSLN were mean 19.6+/-2.6 degrees medially with sagittal plane, and 23.6+/-2.6 degrees anteriorly with coronal plane. At the area between the thyroid cartilage and the hyoid bone the ibSLN is the only nerve which traverses lateral to medial. It is accompanied by the superior laryngeal artery, a branch of the superior thyroid artery. The ibSLN is under the risk of injury as a result of cutting or compression of the blades of the retractor at this level. The morphometric data regarding the ibSLN, information regarding the distances between the nerve, and the other consistent structures may help us identify this nerve, and to avoid the nerve injury.
Project description:IntroductionUltrasound-guided internal branch of the upper laryngeal nerve block (USG-guided iSLN block) have been used to decrease the perioperative stress response of intubation. It is more likely to be successful than blindly administered superior laryngeal nerve blocks with fewer complications. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of USG-guided iSLN block to treat postoperative sore throat (postoperative sore throat, POST) after extubation.Methods100 patients, aged from 18 to 60 years old, ASA I~II who underwent general anesthesia and suffered from the moderate to severe postoperative sore throat after extubation were randomized into two groups(50 cases per group). Patients in group S received USG-guided iSLN block bilaterally (60mg of 2% lidocaine, 1.5ml each side), whereas those in group I received inhalation with 100 mg of 2% lidocaine and 1mg of budesonide suspension diluted with normal saline (oxygen flow 8 L /min, inhalation for 15 minutes). The primary outcome were VAS scores in both groups before treatment (T0), 10 min (T1), 30 min(T2), 1h(T3), 2 h(T4), 4h(T5), 8h(T6), 24h(T7), and 48h(T8) after treatment. The secondary outcome were satisfaction scores after treatment, MAP, HR, and SPO2 fromT0 to T8. The adverse reactions such as postoperative chocking or aspiration, cough, hoarseness, dyspnea were also observed in both groups.ResultsPatients in group S had significantly lower VAS score than that in group I at points of T1 ~ T6 (P < 0.01). HR of group S was lower than that of group I at points of T1 ~ T2and T4 (P < 0.05), and MAP was lower than that of group I at points of T1 ~ T3 (P < 0.05). Satisfaction scores of group S were higher than that of group I (P <0.05), In group S, 2 case (4%) needed to intravenous Flurbiprofen Injection 50 mg to relieve pain; in group I, 13 cases (26%) received Flurbiprofen Injection. 2 case of group S appeared throat numbness after treatment for 3 hours; 2 patients have difficult in expectoration after treatment recovered after 3hour. No serious adverse events were observed in both groups.ConclusionCompared with inhalation, USG-guided iSLN block may effectively relieve the postoperative sore throat after extubation under general anesthesia and provided an ideal treatment for POST in clinical work.
Project description:Surgeons must visually distinguish soft-tissues, such as nerves, from surrounding anatomy to prevent complications and optimize patient outcomes. An accurate nerve segmentation and analysis tool could provide useful insight for surgical decision-making. Here, we present an end-to-end, automatic deep learning computer vision algorithm to segment and measure nerves. Unlike traditional medical imaging, our unconstrained setup with accessible handheld digital cameras, along with the unstructured open surgery scene, makes this task uniquely challenging. We investigate one common procedure, thyroidectomy, during which surgeons must avoid damaging the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), which is responsible for human speech. We evaluate our segmentation algorithm on a diverse dataset across varied and challenging settings of operating room image capture, and show strong segmentation performance in the optimal image capture condition. This work lays the foundation for future research in real-time tissue discrimination and integration of accessible, intelligent tools into open surgery to provide actionable insights.
Project description:BackgroundTo explore whether the medial branch block of superior laryngeal nerve can reduce the stress response of patients undergoing intubation and further reduce the dosage of opioids.Methods80 patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery were selected, and randomly divided into 4 groups. All patients in the experimental groups received bilateral internal branch of superior laryngeal nerve block and transversus abdominis plane block. But the dosage of sufentanil used for anesthesia induction in the group A, B, and C was 0.4, 0.2, and 0μg/kg, respectively. Group D do not underwent supralaryngeal nerve block and the dosage of sufentanil was 0.4μg/kg. The heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure(MAP) were recorded at the time of entering the operating room(T1), before intubation after induction(T2), immediately after intubation(T3), 5min after intubation(T4), before extubation(T5), immediately after extubation(T6), 5min after extubation(T7). We also recorded the stay time in the recovery room, the number of cases of postoperative sore throat, the number of cases of nausea and vomiting, the first intestinal exhaust time, the length of hospital stay after operation.ResultsThe HR of group A, C and D at T3 was significantly higher than that at T2(P < 0.01), while the HR of group B had no significant change. The HR of group A, C and D at T4 was lower than that at T3(P < 0.01), while the HR of group B had no obvious change. The HR of group C and D at T3 was significantly higher than that at T1 (P < 0.01). The MAP of group A and D at T4 was significantly lower than that at T1 (P<0.001). The first postoperative intestinal exhaust time in group A, B and C was significantly shorter than that in group D. The length of hospital stay after operation in group B and C was shorter than that in group D.ConclusionsUltrasound-guided superior laryngeal nerve block combined with 0.2μg/kg sufentanil can reduce the intubation reaction, have better hemodynamic stability, reduce the first postoperative intestinal exhaust time and postoperative hospital stay, thereby accelerating the postoperative recovery of patients.
Project description:Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is an intractable complication of thyroidectomy. Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) was designed to prevent RLN injury. However, the results concerning the protective effect of IONM on RLN injury are still controversial. We searched all eligible databases from 1980 to 2017. Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of IONM on RLN injury. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to check the stability of our results. There were 34 studies included in the analysis. Overall analysis found a significant decrease in total injury (RR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.55 to 0.83), transient injury (RR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.57 to 0.88), and permanent injury (RD = -0.0026, 95%CI: -0.0039 to -0.0012) with IONM. Subgroup analysis found IONM played a preventive role of total, transient and permanent injury in patients undergoing bilateral thyroidectomy. IONM also reduced the incidence of total and transient injury for malignancy cases. Operations with IONM were associated with fewer total and transient RLN injuries in operation volume < 300 NARs per year and fewer total and permanent RLN injuries in operation volume ≥ 300 NARs per year. The application of IONM could reduce the RLN injury of thyroidectomy. Particularly, we recommend routine IONM for use in bilateral operations and malignancy operations.
Project description:BackgroundPostoperative recurrent or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is one of the most serious complications in the field of thyroid surgery, in either benign or malignant thyroid disease, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. The importance of recurrent laryngeal nerve identification intraoperatively reduces the risk of injury. We report herein a young patient who underwent nerve monitoring in total thyroidectomy that led to recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.Case presentationWe report a 30-year-old Arab male patient who presented to our clinic with a longstanding thyroid swelling, which was reported as papillary thyroid carcinoma, and was scheduled for total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection. Nerve monitoring was used to identify the recurrent laryngeal nerve, leading to recurrent laryngeal nerve nerve fatigability/paresis that was seen during the postoperative course.ConclusionVisual identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is the gold standard for nerve protection. We recommend the use of nerve monitoring as an adjunct in challenging cases but not in routine settings, as it does not decrease the incidence of injuries compared with visualization alone in our experience.
Project description:Anatomical considerations of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN), a branch of the vagus, provides information to minimize the potential for iatrogenic intraoperative injury, thereby preventing motor and sensory dysfunctions of the larynx. The present study aims to assess the variation of the SLN and its relationship to the superior thyroid artery (STA) and superior laryngeal artery (SLA). The study was done on 35 formalin-fixed cadavers at Oakland University in 2018-2019. In our study, we found that out of 21 cadavers, 52.4% of the external laryngeal branches (ebSLN) are related posteromedial to the STA, while 47.6% are related anteromedial to it. Out of 14 cadavers, 64.3% of the internal laryngeal branches (ibSLN) are related superoposterior to the SLA, while 35.7% are inferoposterior to it. In most cases, the SLA crosses above the ebSLN while traveling to pierce the thyrohyoid membrane to reach the larynx. The data demonstrate that both the ebSLN and ibSLN display variation in their relationship with the STA and the SLA, respectively. Awareness of these variable relationships is critical for identification and isolation of these structures in order to prevent consequences of nerve injury, primarily a reduction in the highest attainable frequency of the voice and aspiration pneumonia.
Project description:IntroductionSurgical studies evaluating a device or technology in comparison to an established surgical technique should accurately report all the important components of the surgical technique in order to reduce the risk of intervention bias. In the debate of visualization of the recurrent laryngeal nerve alone (VONA) versus intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) during thyroidectomy, surgical technique plays a key role in both strategies. Our aim was to investigate whether the surgical technique was considered as a risk of intervention bias by relevant meta-analyses and reviews and if steps of surgical intervention were described in their included studies.MethodsWe searched PUBMED, CENTRAL-Cochrane library, PROSPERO and GOOGLE for reviews and meta-analyses focusing on the comparison of IONM to VONA in primary open thyroidectomy. Τhen, primary studies were extracted from their reference lists. We developed a typology for surgical technique applied in primary studies and a framework approach for the evaluation of this typology by the meta-analyses and reviews.ResultsTwelve meta-analyses, one review (388,252 nerves at risk), and 84 primary studies (128,720 patients) were included. Five meta-analyses considered the absence of typology regarding the surgical technique as a source of intervention bias; 48 primary studies (57.14%) provided information about at least one item of the typology components and only 1 for all of them.DiscussionSurgical technique of thyroidectomy in terms of a typology is underreported in studies and undervalued by meta-analyses comparing VONA to IONM. This missing typology should be reconsidered in the comparative evaluation of these two strategies.