Intraoperative neuromonitoring in endocrine surgery: when is it appropriate?
Engelsman, A.F.; Nieveen van Dijkum, E.J.M.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 162: D2320
2018
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 29676711 Document Number: 696187
The use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroid surgery has steadily increased in recent years. This technique helps to identify different nerves in and around the operation site, such as the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. Particularly in patients who undergo a second operation or a complex procedure for malignancy, the technique's value has been demonstrated. However, in non-complex thyroid operations the risk of vocal cord paresis due to iatrogenic injury of the RLN is 0.1%. Therefore, high quality research with sufficient power to assess the effect of IONM on prevention of vocal cord paresis is scarce, and the routine use of IONM in thyroid surgery is currently not indicated.