[How to prevent recurrent nerve palsy during thyroid surgery?]

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury and hypoparathyroidism can occur after thyroid surgery. The rate of RLN injury, mostly transient, ranges from 0.5% to 5% of patients. The risk is more important in patients who undergo reoperative thyroid surgery and in patients with thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism. Rationales for technique of thyroidectomy are discussed. Meticulous and reproductive surgical technique can lower the postoperative morbidity. However, the potential for RLN injury still exists and must be explained to the patients who are candidate for thyroid surgery. The fact that this information has been delivered during the preoperative visit must be written by the surgeon in the patient's chart.