Tuesday, December 2 | 9:50 a.m.-10:00 a.m. | T3-SSHN02-3 | Room S403B
Research to be presented here will reveal how ultrasound shows structural features of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during radical thyroidectomy.
Presenter Ziyue Hu, MD, and colleagues from Sichuan Cancer Hospital in China will show results from their prospective study, which they say will help sonographers better understand ultrasound characteristics of the RLN. The study involved 24 patients scheduled for bilateral thyroid surgery. Near the end of the surgery, sonographers performed intraoperative ultrasound scans of the RLN within the tracheoesophageal groove. They used a 15-7 MHz transducer.
The team found that the internal architecture of the RLN was made up of multiple hypoechoic areas that were parallel but discontinuous and separated by bands.
Diameter sizes of the normal RLN were consistent, with thickness ranging from 2.2 to 2.71 mm and width ranging from 1.25 to 1.7 mm.
The team also found significant correlations between body weight and body mass index (BMI) and RLN thickness. The correlation values included 0.544 (p = 0.001) for weight and 0.605 for BMI (p = 0.001). BMI also achieved a statistically significant correlation with the RLN width (r = 0.377, p = 0.033).
The team compared results between invaded and noninvaded RLNs, the latter being free from compression or infiltration by surrounding disease. Invaded RLNs had a width range from 1.9 to 2.3 mm, while noninvaded RLNs had a larger width range from 2.6 to 3.2 mm.
Find out how sonographers can use this information in their practices by attending this session.