Morphological Variations In The Arterial & Nerve Supply Of Thyroid Gland – A Cadaveric Study

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The arteries and nerves related to the thyroid gland are very important as they are the potentialsource of bleeding and palsy during thyroidectomies and other head and neck surgeries. Thus a thoroughknowledge of relation between them is a prerequisite for the surgeons and other interventionists.Materials and Methods: The study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College, Patiala,Punjab among 30 adult human cadavers from May 2015 to Nov 2015. The origin, course, terminal branches andthe relation of superior and inferior thyroid arteries to external and recurrent laryngeal nerves respectively werenoted and the results were evaluated. The complete pattern of morphology of the thyroid gland in relation to thearterial and nerve supply was labelled as standard or variant. Bilateral symmetry of pattern was noted anddetails of the variations were enumerated. A detailed inference was obtained in the light of present observationsand the findings of earlier workers.Results: In 29 cases we found the superior and inferior thyroid arteries were originating from the externalcarotid artery and thyrocervical trunk respectively while in 1 case there was thyroidea ima artery originatingfrom right common carotid artery with absent right inferior thyroid artery. The external and recurrent laryngealnerves were related to superior and inferior thyroid arteries as described by most of the standard textbooks butthe detail percentages of the relationship is given below.Conclusion: The study is an attempt to establish a relation between the variations that we generally encounter inthyroid glands related to its arteries and nerves. Proper identification of thyroid gland vessels is very importantin order to avoid major complications during and after neck surgeries. Thyroid anatomy and its associatedanatomical variations are very essential to know for Endocrinologist and Surgeons, so that these anomalies arenot overlooked while arriving at a diagnosis