Airtraq® videolaryngoscope for assessing vocal cord mobility at the end of thyroidectomy

Voice impairment due to recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy is one of the common and serious complications caused by thyroid surgery and a leading reason for medicolegal litigation. RLN palsy rates depend not only on the type of thyroid disease and the extent of resection but also on the surgeon's training. Routine RLN recognition is considered the gold standard of care for the prevention of nerve injury during thyroid surgery [1]; however, despite meticulous anatomical identification, the reported incidence of RLN palsy ranges from 0 to 12% [2,3].

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