Open AccessDiagnosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy after thyroidectomy: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Jean J.P.,
Orabi A. A.,
Bruch G. A.,
Abdalsalam H. A.,
Simo R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2008.01875.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , thyroidectomy , recurrent laryngeal nerve , larynx , gold standard (test) , palsy , surgery , complication , thyroid , medline , pediatrics , radiology , pathology , political science , law , optics , physics , alternative medicine
Summary Background: Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLNP) is a recognised possible complication after thyroid surgery. It may present with a variety of symptoms, such as voice change and respiratory symptoms. However, it may remain undetected and the true incidence may be under‐reported. The aim of this study was to determine the reported incidence of temporary and permanent palsy after thyroid surgery using different vocal assessment methods. Methods: A Medline search was performed. A systematic review was undertaken which included 27 articles and 25,000 patients. Results: The average incidence of temporary RLNP after thyroid operations is 9.8% and the incidence of permanent RLNP is 2.3%. The RLNP rate varied according to the method of examining the larynx and ranged from 26% to 2.3%. Most of the reviewed studies recommend a follow‐up period up to 1 year to assess and evaluate RLNP. Conclusion: Our study has identified that different methods are used to diagnose RNLP and that a wide variety of reported RLNP rates exist. We propose establishment of a ‘gold standard’ for assessing the voice after thyroidectomy to reduce reporting bias.