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Surgery-Related Hoarseness Associated with Recurrent Laryngeal or Vagus Nerve Damage

Description

Injury to the recurrent laryngeal or vagus nerve during surgery can result in hoarseness. The left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves arise from the vagus nerve. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve loops around the arch of the aorta while the right branch loops around the subclavian artery.


Surgical operations that can damage the recurrent laryngeal or vagus nerve:

(1) carotid surgery

(2) neck dissection

(3) cardiac surgery (valve repair, coronary artery bypass)

(4) ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus

(5) mediastinal surgery

(6) thymectomy

(7) mediastinoscopy

(8) esophagectomy

(9) thyroid surgery

(10) anterior cervical disc surgery

(11) tracheal surgery (tracheotomy, tracheal reconstruction, other)

 


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