Abstract
A 65-year-old female was seen complaining of a vague discomfort in her laryngeal region and a nodular mass in her right anterior neck. Hemithyroidectomy was performed via the usual collar incision, however, the right recurrent nerve was not present in the right tracheoesophageal groove. In search of an anomalous nerve, a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve was found arising from the vagus at the level of the thyroid cartilage and taking a transverse course to directly enter the larynx. After surgery, an additional oesophagogram showed a marked indentation of the esophagus due to the abnormal right subclavian artery. MR angiography also disclosed the anomalous right subclavian artery originating from the aortic arch distal to the left subclavian artery. Surgical excision of the thyroid mass and release of the non-recurrent laryngeal nerve resulted in resolution of the laryngeal discomfort. The surgeon must always be aware of the possibility of a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
