Preservation of the laryngeal nerves during total thyroid lobectomy.

A technique of exposure and preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve at the very onset of thyroidectomy and preservation of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve at the close of the procedure is described, which is believed to afford maximum protection to these nerves during total thyroid lobectomy and isthmusectomy as well as total thyroidectomy. At the same time, preservation of the parathyroid glands is achieved. In 120 exposures and preservations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve there have been no instances of a single permanent paralysis of this nerve. In 111 total thyroid lobectomies in which the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve was placed in jeopardy, only one patient had a slight bowing of the vocal cord with excellent voice function during a limited follow-up period.