Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve's Motor Function: Sometimes Motor Fibers May Also Be Located in The Posterior Branch

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries
• Interventions: Device: intraoperative neuromonitoring

• Registration Number: NCT02493881
• Lead Sponsor: Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital

Brief Summary

The investigators hypothesized that, sometimes the posterior branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerve may also have motor function. The investigators aimed to evaluate motor function of the branches in the branching recurrent laryngeal nerves in this study.

Detailed Description

This study group consisted of consecutive patients, undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery with IONM. Both anterior and posterior branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerves were assessed separately by both electromyography endotracheal tube for adduction and finger palpation for detection of laryngeal twitch due to posterior cricoarytenoid abduction. The recurrent laryngeal nerves having motor function only in the anterior branches were defined as group 1, whereas the nerves having motor function both in the anterior and posterior branches were as group 2.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-01
• Primary Completion: 2014-09
• Study Completion: 2015-03
• Study First Submitted: 2015-06-26
• Status Verified: 2015-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-07-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-07-09
• Study First Posted: 2015-07-10
• Last Update Posted: 2015-07-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 337

Inclusion Criteria

1. Patients who underwent parathyroid/thyroid surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring ,
2. Patients who had normal vocal cord functions preoperatively. -

Exclusion Criteria

1. Preoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy,

2. Intentional nerve transection because of cancer invasion,

3. Assessment failure of recurrent laryngeal nerve function due to the deficiency of the intraoperative neuromonitoring equipment,.

4. Parathyroidectomy operations that recurrent laryngeal nerves were not fully dissected.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Group 2	intraoperative neuromonitoring	RLNs having motor function on anterior and posterior branch assessed by intraoperative neuromonitoring.
Group 1	intraoperative neuromonitoring	The RLNs having motor function on the anterior branch assessed by intraoperative neuromonitoring.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The evoked EMG potentials of the branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerves as microvolt, by intraoperative neuromonitoring.	intraoperative	The nerves , due to having motor functions whether on their anterior or posterior branches, were divided into two groups. The amplitudes of the anterior and posterior branches within the group 2 were compared.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The diameters of the branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerves.	intraoperative	The branch diameters of the recurrent laryngeal nerves were compared between the two groups.
The branching distances of the recurrent laryngeal nerves.	intraoperative	The branching distances of the recurrent laryngeal nerves till the entry point into the larynx, were compared between the two groups.