The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN): application to transhiatal oesophagectomy

To emphasize the risks of recurrent laryngeal nerve lesions during transhiatal oesophagectomy an anatomical study of the course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) was performed. Twenty RLN were dissected in their thoracic portion. This work showed the constancy of the low origin of the nerve in the adult under the aortic arch, and its course in the tracheal angle. It confirmed the close connections of the nerve with the posterior mediastinal viscera. Lastly, it displayed oesophageal nerve branches arising from the RLN and a few anastomoses between them and the tracheal nerve branches. This anatomical disposition resulted into the difficulty of transhiatal oesophaphagectomies and the risk of injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The possibility of nerve lesions can explain the respiratory complications of this surgical approach.