In cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve invasion due to thyroid cancer, resection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is necessary. Immediate reconstruction of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is often performed in such cases. Our hospital has also been proactive in performing immediate reconstruction (e.g., recurrent laryngeal nerve end-to-end anastomosis, and ansa cervicalis-recurrent laryngeal nerve anastomosis). On the other hand, reports from basic research using animals have shown that reconstruction using artificial nerve tubes is more useful for promoting nerve regeneration than existing methods. Furthermore, artificial nerve tubes are used in clinical practice in other fields and their safety is guaranteed. In this study, we encountered a case in which the recurrent laryngeal nerve was reconstructed using an artificial nerve after recurrent laryngeal nerve resection due to thyroid cancer. We present the results of our hospital and consider and report the possibility of recurrent laryngeal nerve regeneration in the future.
Case : We performed recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction using an artificial nerve in 9 cases, including 8 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve resection due to thyroid cancer and 1 case of recurrent laryngeal nerve resection due to cervical esophageal cancer. In the reconstruction method, an artificial nerve was used between the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve, except for the case in which an artificial nerve was used between the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the ansa cervicalis due to thyroid cancer. The postoperative voice was equivalent to the preoperative voice in all cases, except for 2 cases with vocal cord atrophy due to recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis.
Conclusion : We have experienced cases in which a patient’s postoperative voice improved when an artificial nerve was used for recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction. When existing reconstruction methods are not possible, recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction using artificial nerves should be considered.
