Anastomosis between the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Abstract

An incidental finding in the anatomy lab showed up a plexus of the external branch of the right superior laryngeal nerve (SLN), including an anastomosis with the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). The external branch of the SLN divided in two extensions: The ventral extension reached the mesopharynx laterally and by supplying the latter, ended at the cricothyroid muscle. The dorsal extension formed a plexus a finger's breadth beneath the inferior margin of the pharynx, on the lateral aspect of the esophagus. The anastomosis ran from the lower part of the plexus to the RLN along the esophagus, laterally.