Advances in Zuckerkandl tubercle

Abstract

Zuckerkandl tubercle is the extension of thyriod gland. For the past few years, more and more surgeons and anatomists have become interested in it. Clinically, surgeons usually rely on specified anatomical landmarks to avoid injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including the laryngeal branches and the superior parathyroid in thyroid surgery, such as the bottom corner of the thyroid cartilage, the inferior thyroid artery, lower pole of thyroid, tracheoesophageal groove, suspensory ligament of thyroid gland and so on. As the specified landmarks, they have several common characteristics:on the one hand, their location should be constant; on the other hand, they should be easy to observe and touch, meanwhile convenient and practical.As a new anatomical landmark, Zuckerkandl tubercle is in accordance with the above characteristics and prevalent in the population. Therefore, Zuckerkandl tubercle could become an important landmark to identify the the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including the laryngeal branches and the superior parathyroid in thyroid surgery. This essay aims to briefly analyze the role of Zuckerkandl tubercle in thyroid surgery. Key words: Recurrent lyrangeal nerve; Tubercle; Anatomy; Zuckerkandl tubercle