SUPERIOR LARYNGEAL NERVE INJURY FROM THYROID-SURGERY

Background. Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve is a well-recogniz ed complication of thyroid surgery. Injury to the superior laryngeal n erve is less documented, perhaps due to the difficulty in recognizing its manifestations. This study was designed to document the incidence of injury to the superior laryngeal nerve in a series of patients who underwent thyroidectomy. Methods. Twenty consecutive patients with thy roidectomy during a 9-month period underwent evaluation for superior l aryngeal nerve injury 3 months postoperatively. Methods for evaluation included laryngeal videostroboscopy, laryngeal electromyography, and a subjective interview. Results. One patient (5%) was diagnosed with u nilateral superior laryngeal nerve injury. Conclusions. The risk of in jury to the superior laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy is significa nt, and the result may be devastating to those patients who rely on th eir voices professionally. Laryngeal videostroboscopy and electromyogr aphy may be necessary to diagnose superior laryngeal nerve injury. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.