Location of motor fibers within branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerve with extralaryngeal terminal bifurcation; Functional identification by intraoperative neuromonitoring

摘要

Background. Extra laryngeal terminal bifurcation (ETB) of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is an anatomic variation that threatens the safety of thyroid operation. Therefore, it is important to identify motor function in nerve branches to preserve appropriate motor activity. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is an accepted procedure to identify motor function of the RLN.