Table IV.
Number of cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis after thyroid and parathyroid operations
| No. of RLN at risk | RLN paresis/injury | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (transient + permanent), n (%) | Transient n (%) | Permanent n (%) | |
| All (190 RLNs) | 7 (3.7) | 5 (2.6) | 2 (1.1) |
| Retrosternal goiter (50 RLNs) | 2 (4) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| Non-retrosternal goiter (140 RLNs) | 5 (3.57) p = 1.0* | 4 (2.85) | 1 (0.71) |
| Huge goiter > 100 ml (24 RLNs) | 1 (4.16) p = 1.0* | 1 (4.16) | 0 |
| Goiter size < 100 ml (166 RLNs) | 6 (3.61) | 4 (2.41) | 2 (1.2) |
| Benign pathology (170 RLNs) | 6 (3.52) p = 0.5470* | 4 (2.35) | 2 (1.18) |
| Thyroid cancer (20 RLNs) | 1 (5) | 1 (5) | 0 |
*
Fisher’s test.