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Topographic anatomy of the ınternal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve

  • Laryngology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical and topographical anatomy of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (ibSLN) in laryngectomy patients.

Methods

Patients aged 36–90 years old who underwent a total laryngectomy operation with a diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma participated in the study. Fifteen patients who underwent a total laryngectomy operation between June 2015 and November 2016 were included in the study. A total of 29 superior laryngeal nerves (SLN) of 15 patients were studied. The position of the nerve was photographed before the thyrohyoid membrane (THM) was passed during dissection. The relationship and course of the ibSLN with respect to the superior laryngeal artery (SLA) were observed. The distance to adjacent formations and branching variants were examined along the course of the nerve.

Results

Of the total 29 ibSLN, 17 were divided into three branches and 12 into two branches. In all cases except for one, the ibSLN course after piercing the THM was determined. The ibSLN penetrated the THM at a mean of 12.0 ± 2.61 mm (6–16 mm) from the superior border of the thyroid cartilage. The ibSLN penetrated the THM with a mean distance of 9.34 ± 1.65 (6–12) mm from the inferior border of the hyoid bone.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated the surgical and topographical features of the ibSLN with respect to the THM, and provided a more precise knowledge of its anatomy in laryngectomy patients. It thus may help head and neck surgeons identify this nerve.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Sciences High School, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Ebru Mihriban Güven

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Keziban Karacan

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Mehmet Güven, Halil Elden & Müge Özçelik Korkmaz

Authors
  1. Ebru Mihriban Güven
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  2. Keziban Karacan
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  3. Mehmet Güven
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  4. Halil Elden
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  5. Müge Özçelik Korkmaz
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Contributions

EMG: protocol development, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing. KK: protocol development, data analysis, manuscript editing. MG: protocol development, data collection and management. HE: data collection, manuscript editing, MÖK: data collection and management.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ebru Mihriban Güven.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research protocol was submitted to and approved by the Sakarya University Ethics Committee. (16214662/050.01.04/13).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Güven, E.M., Karacan, K., Güven, M. et al. Topographic anatomy of the ınternal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 278, 727–731 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06395-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06395-9

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