Importanza della laringoscopia pre- e post-tiroidectomia

The reported prevalence of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) lesions after thyroidectomy varies widely. A recent analysis of more than 25,000 patients who underwent thyroidectomy found that the average rate of temporary vocal cord palsy (VCP) was 9.8%. The rate of permanent VCP varied 10-fold, depending on the method of laryngeal examination, and ranged from 0 to 18.6%. The preoperative laryngeal study is important in cases of neoplastic disease to have predictive data on the degree of infiltration of the RLN by the tumour. It also allows the identification of cases of idiopathic chordal paralysis. Given the clear divergence between vocal symptoms and objective vocal fold function and in order to document postoperative chordal motility, postoperative laryngeal examination appears to be routinely necessary in all patients undergoing thyroid surgery.