TY - JOUR
T1 - Intrathyroidal carotid artery and nonrecurring right recurrent laryngeal nerve
T2 - A case report
AU - Baker, Aaron
AU - Cottrill, Elizabeth E.
AU - Munizza, Olivia
AU - McGillen, Kathryn
AU - McKinnon, Tyler
AU - Goldenberg, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2017/12
Y1 - 2017/12
N2 - Background: When performing thyroidectomy, knowledge of normal anatomy and variants is vital to avoid injuring nearby structures. Typically, the bilateral carotids course posterolateral to the thyroid gland. We describe a rare variant of an intrathyroidal carotid artery, not previously described in the literature. Methods: A 23-year-old woman with a strong family history of thyroid cancer presented with a left thyroid nodule, and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealing papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy. Results: Intraoperatively, the carotid was found coursing centrally through the right lobe parenchyma, associated with an ipsilateral nonrecurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) entering the cricothyroid joint superolaterally. Conclusion: This is, to our knowledge, the first report of such an anatomic variant in the medical literature. Aberrant carotid artery anatomy may potentially cause life-threatening surgical complications and should be considered preoperatively. Furthermore, recognition of concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) anomalies with vascular variations allows identification of nonrecurrent nerves.
AB - Background: When performing thyroidectomy, knowledge of normal anatomy and variants is vital to avoid injuring nearby structures. Typically, the bilateral carotids course posterolateral to the thyroid gland. We describe a rare variant of an intrathyroidal carotid artery, not previously described in the literature. Methods: A 23-year-old woman with a strong family history of thyroid cancer presented with a left thyroid nodule, and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealing papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy. Results: Intraoperatively, the carotid was found coursing centrally through the right lobe parenchyma, associated with an ipsilateral nonrecurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) entering the cricothyroid joint superolaterally. Conclusion: This is, to our knowledge, the first report of such an anatomic variant in the medical literature. Aberrant carotid artery anatomy may potentially cause life-threatening surgical complications and should be considered preoperatively. Furthermore, recognition of concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) anomalies with vascular variations allows identification of nonrecurrent nerves.
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U2 - 10.1002/hed.24970
DO - 10.1002/hed.24970
M3 - Article
C2 - 29024099
AN - SCOPUS:85031129205
VL - 39
SP - E123-E126
JO - Head and Neck Surgery
JF - Head and Neck Surgery
SN - 1043-3074
IS - 12
ER -