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The Recurrent and Superior Laryngeal Nerves pp 95–101Cite as

The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve and the Tubercle of Zuckerkandl

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Abstract

The tubercle of Zuckerkandl is the posterior and lateral projection of the thyroid gland. It was originally described by anatomists, and later became of interest to thyroid and parathyroid surgeons because of its close proximity to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the superior parathyroid gland. It is more frequently found on the right side of the body, and when found bilaterally it is often larger on the right. It has been postulated that an enlarged tubercle of Zuckerkandl can cause symptoms of compression even in the absence of a large goiter, but it is clinically significant because of its use as a landmark for finding the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the superior parathyroid gland during surgery.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Steven R. Bomeli M.D.

  2. First Department and Clinic of General, Gastroenterological and Endocrine Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, M.C. Sklodowskiej 66, Wroclaw, 50-369, Poland

    Beata Wojtczak M.D., Ph.D.

  3. Ministry of Health, Putrajaya, Malaysia

    Hisham Abdullah M.D.

  4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Lariboisière University Hospital, Paris Diderot University, University Paris Sorbonne Cité, Paris, France

    Romain E. Kania M.D.

  5. Department of Otolaryngology, Georgia Health Sciences University, GRU Thyroid Center, 1120 Fifteenth Street, BP-4109, Augusta, 30912, GA, USA

    David J. Terris M.D., F.A.C.S.

Authors
  1. Steven R. Bomeli M.D.
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  2. Beata Wojtczak M.D., Ph.D.
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  3. Hisham Abdullah M.D.
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  4. Romain E. Kania M.D.
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  5. David J. Terris M.D., F.A.C.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beata Wojtczak M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Claire and John Bertucci Endowed Cha, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Gregory W. Randolph

Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Shows a surgeon’s view of the tubercle of Zuckerkandl being elevated to expose the recurrent laryngeal nerve and superior parathyroid gland (MP4 46088 kb)

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bomeli, S.R., Wojtczak, B., Abdullah, H., Kania, R.E., Terris, D.J. (2016). The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve and the Tubercle of Zuckerkandl. In: Randolph, G. (eds) The Recurrent and Superior Laryngeal Nerves. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27727-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27727-1_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27725-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27727-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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