A method to measure elicited contraction of laryngeal adductor muscles during anesthesia.
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The recurrent laryngeal nerve was stimulated with surface electrodes to produce vocal cord adduction, and the response was measured as pressure changes in the inflatable cuff of a tracheal tube positioned between the vocal cords. To test the linearity of the system, a model of the larynx consisting of a syringe barrel was constructed, and weights were applied to two bands of tissue simulating the vocal cords. Tests on Mallinckrodt size-7.5 tubes showed that the pressure increase produced by a given force was independent of baseline pressure in the range 10-30 mmHg. In addition, the pressure inside the inflatable cuff was linear with increasing weight (or force) for a baseline pressure of 10 mmHg. Thirty ASA physical status 1 or 2 adults were anesthetized with propofol and fentanyl. Tracheal intubation was performed in the absence of muscle relaxants, and the inflatable cuff of the tracheal tube was positioned between the vocal cords. Pressure inside the cuff was measured with an air-filled transducer. Stimulation was produced at different sites along the course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. A surface electrode placed over the notch of the thyroid cartilage produced consistent adduction of the cords, measured as an increase of 8.9 +/- 5.1 mmHg (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]) in the cuff pressure. Neuromuscular blocking drugs produced train-of-four fade, and large doses abolished the response completely, ruling out direct muscle stimulation. It is concluded that this assembly can provide useful information on intrinsic laryngeal muscle function. (+info)
A "pilot light" of the right non-recurrent laryngeal nerve.
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Total thyroidectomy was performed in a 53-year-old male, with Graves-Basedow's disease. At surgery, the vagus nerve was found to be located medially to the carotid artery associated with a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve arising directly from the cervical vagus: this association has never been described in the literature. These results indicate that a medial location of the vagus nerve may be considered as a "pilot light" of the non-recurrent laryngeal nerve. (+info)
Encoding of the cough reflex in anesthetized guinea pigs.
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Laryngeal reinnervation using ansa cervicalis for thyroid surgery-related unilateral vocal fold paralysis: a long-term outcome analysis of 237 cases.
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Esophageal stripping creates a clear operative field for lymph node dissection along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in prone video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.
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We describe a 54-year-old man in whom esophageal carcinoma was diagnosed and who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of the esophagus (VATS-E) in the prone position. Initially, the patient was fixed in a semiprone position, from which he could be rotated to a prone or left lateral position. Four ports were inserted, and then the patient was rotated to the prone position. Once the patient was prone, gravity caused the lung to move downwards. Next, the chest cavity was inflated with a CO(2) insufflation pressure of 6 mm Hg. Esophagectomy was then performed, and the lymph nodes in the middle and lower mediastinum and along the right recurrent laryngeal nerve were dissected. In the left upper mediastinum, lymph node dissection was performed after the residual esophagus was stripped. Stripping of the residual esophagus created sufficient working space and a clear operative field for lymph node dissection. VATS-E in the prone position has achieved remarkable results in Japan. It allows a clear operative view of the middle and lower mediastinum, but the working space in the upper mediastinum is limited. Our results indicate that esophageal stripping in prone VATS-E allows for safe and straightforward lymph node dissection along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. Our technique overcame the difficulties usually encountered with this type of lymph node dissection. (+info)
CT evaluation of vocal cord paralysis due to thoracic diseases: a 10-year retrospective study.
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