ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the relation of recurrent laryngeal nerve damage with the mode of surgery and exposure of the nerve in thyroidectomies.Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 2142 thyroidectomy patients.There were 540 unilateral and 1602 bilateral procedures with 3744 nerves at risk of injury.Among them,1986 nerves were explored and indentified,and 1758 nerves were not exposed.Results The overall incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was 0.93%(20/2142),and with an incidence of 0.37%(8/2142)for permanent damage.The injury incidence in the nerves exposure and non-exposure groups was 0.30% and 0.80%,respectively,the difference was significant between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusions The occurrence of recurrent laryngel nerve injury can be reduced or avoided by its careful exposure and identification during thyroid operation.