PS02.017: EFFICACY OF INTRAOPERATIVE RECURRENT LARYNGEAL NERVE MONITORING DURING UPPER MEDIASTINAL LYMPH NODE DISSECTION IN THORACOSCOPIC RADICAL ESOPHAGECTOMY

Abstract

Abstract Background The development of minimally invasive surgery has yielded many benefits, therefore the number of patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical esophagectomy (TRE) for esophageal cancer has been increasing worldwide. However, in the Japanese nationwide web-based database report, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis and overall morbidity were significantly higher in the TRE group than in the open esophagectomy group. In recent years, intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) is commonly being used in thyroid and parathyroid surgery in many centers. We tried to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of IONM of RLN during upper mediastinal lymph node dissection in TRE. Methods All 628 patients who underwent TRE in the left lateral decubitus position at Osaka City University Hospital between May 1995 and February 2018 were enrolled in the present study. We introduced IONM using NIM® (Medtronic) during TRE from October 2016 at our hospital. We divided retrospectively the patients into two groups: IONM group (TRE with IONM of RLN; n = 49) and No-IONM group (TRE without IONM of RLN; n = 579). Diagnosis of RLN paralysis was performed using laryngoscopy. The feasibility of IONM during TRE and the incidence of postoperative RLN paralysis were compared with those in No-IONM group. Results IONM could be performed for 46 patients (93.9%) in IONM group. Three patients (6.1%) could not keep single-lung ventilation using a single lumen tracheal tube with a bronchial blocker and needed to replace a tracheal tube by a double lumen tube during TRE. The incidence of postoperative RLN paralysis (CD≧ 1; CD; Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications) was 17.4% in IONM group and 30.2% in No- IONM group. There was a significant difference in the incidence of postoperative RLN paralysis (P < 0.05). Moreover, the right and bilateral paralysis of RLN after TRE did not occur in any patients in IONM group. Conclusion IONM of RLN during TRE is technically feasible. The introduction of standardized IONM of RLN during TRE is able to reduce the incidence of postoperative RLN paralysis. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.