Two cases of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve: routine nerve exploration in total thyroidectomy

Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is one of the main complications of thyroidectomy. Since variability in the course of the nerve increases the risk of injury, routine nerve exploration is recommended. In this report, we present two cases of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve found during total thyroidectomy performed for benign pathologies. Total thyroidectomy was performed on two female patients (52 and 54 years old) with a diagnosis of multi-nodular goiter in our clinics. Nerve exploration was performed routinely and non-recurrent laryngeal nerve was noted in both patients. Patients were discharged on the first postoperative day without any complications. Recurrent laryngeal nerve exploration does not increase the risk of nerve injury and ensures safety in case of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve presence, despite its rarity.