Artificial nerve conduit in the repair of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury

Abstract

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is one of the most common and serious complications of cervical and thoracic surgery, which can occur due to neoplastic or iatrogenic factors. End-to-end anastomosis will be performed for a short rupture, however, reconstruction of a long defect remains a challenge. Autologous nerve transplantation is limited due to limited source of donor nerves. The loss of sensory and functional function in the innervation region and the mismatch of the structure and size of the recipient nerve are also the problems. Nowadays, with the development of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, artificial nerve conduits are expected to solve the above issues. The nerve conduit provides support for the regeneration of the broken axons, and can absorb neurotrophic factors and Schwann cells to provide a microenvironment for nerve regeneration. This article reviews and summarizes the published literature for different nerve conduits used to repair the RLN. The advantage and disadvantages are evaluated, and the future is prospected. Key words: Thyroidectomy; Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury; Vocal cord paralysis; Nerve conduit; Nerve regeneration