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Preoperative Laryngoscopy in Thyroid Surgery Patients

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Controversies in Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

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Abstract

Vocal cord assessment with laryngoscopy in patients undergoing thyroid lobectomy for low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer warrants significant discussion due to the multiple arguments for and against it. Preoperative laryngoscopy allows for visual and medical documentation of vocal fold function and aids in both surgical management and preoperative counseling. It also can be associated with a diagnosis of idiopathic vocal fold abnormalities, incidentalomas, increased procedural costs, and patient discomfort. The interpretation of laryngoscopy is also important in patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer who are planning to undergo a lobectomy. This obviates the additional discussion regarding loss of intraoperative loss of nerve signal and further operative management. There are added nuances within this discussion such as the availability and use of flexible laryngoscopes and the role of specialty bias toward routine laryngoscopy. Within this chapter, we will discuss the role of preoperative laryngoscopy and how it applies to this low-risk cohort of patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Arvind K. Badhey & David L. Steward

Authors
  1. Arvind K. Badhey
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  2. David L. Steward
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David L. Steward .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sanziana A. Roman

  2. Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Wen T. Shen

  3. Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Julie Ann Sosa

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Badhey, A.K., Steward, D.L. (2023). Preoperative Laryngoscopy in Thyroid Surgery Patients. In: Roman, S.A., Shen, W.T., Sosa, J.A. (eds) Controversies in Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37135-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37135-6_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-37134-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-37135-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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