Table 1.
Demographic characteristics, indications for surgery, and types of surgical procedures
| Variable | EBSLN + RLN visualization | IONM of the EBSLN + RLN | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female gender (no., %) | 101 (100) | 100 (100) | 1.0† |
| Mean age (year) | 49.7 ± 14.1 | 50.3 ± 15.3 | 0.69‡ |
| Thyroid volume on ultrasound (mL) | 58.4 ± 24.3 | 59.7 ± 29.1 | 0.57‡ |
| Operative time (min) | 82.4 ± 18.2 | 84.8 ± 16.9 | 0.39‡ |
| Weight of specimens (g) | 61.4 ± 34.2 | 63.5 ± 32.3 | 0.41‡ |
| Disease | |||
| Nontoxic nodular goiter | 69 (68.3) | 67 (67) | 0.84† |
| Thyroid carcinoma | 12 (11.9) | 13 (13) | 0.81† |
| Graves’ disease | 5 (4.9) | 4 (4) | 0.72† |
| Toxic nodular goiter | 15 (14.8) | 16 (16) | 0.86† |
| Procedure | |||
| Total thyroidectomy | 101 (100) | 100 (100) | 1.0† |
| Central compartment clearance | 12 (11.9) | 13 (13.0) | 0.81† |
| EBSLN at risk | 202 (100) | 200 (100.0) | 1.0† |
| RLN at risk | 202 (100) | 200 (100.0) | 1.0† |
SD standard deviation, EBSLN external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, RLN recurrent laryngeal nerve, IONM intraoperative neuromonitoring
†χ2 test
‡ t test