PREOPERATIVE CT DIAGNOSIS OF RIGHT NONRECURRENT INFERIOR LARYNGEAL NERVE

Background. The nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is an anomaly associated with the absence of the brachiocephalic artery (BCA) and the presence of arteria lusoria. Methods. The preoperative CT scans from 290 patients (9 nonrecurrent, 281 recurrent) were retrospectively reviewed. We identified the BCA or the arteria lusoria, and classified the relationship between the right subclavian artery (SCA) and the tracheoesophagus into 2 subtypes. Results. The arteria lusoria was identified in 6 nonrecurrent cases. The BOA was identified in 143 recurrent cases. The right SCA was detected on the ventral side of the membranous wall of the trachea in 273 recurrent cases, whereas it was detected on the dorsal side in 8 recurrent cases with enlarged thyroid, and it was detected on the dorsal side in 9 nonrecurrent cases without pressure sign. Conclusions. It is possible to predict a nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve by identifying the arteria lusoria or other features on the preoperative CT. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 33: 232-238, 2011