Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Clin Anat. 2011 Oct;24(7):853-7. doi: 10.1002/ca.21192. Epub 2011 May 4.
Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is an important but avoidable complication of thyroidectomy. This complication may be avoided by the identification of the nerve facilitated by important landmarks found along its course. The setting for this work is the Human Anatomy Laboratory of the University of Nairobi. The aim of this work is to determine the topographic relationship of the RLN with the inferior thyroid artery (ITA), the tubercle of Zuckerkandl (TZ), and the ligament of Berry (LB) in a Kenyan population. The relationship between the nerve and the above landmarks was determined during dissection of 146 right and left thyroid lobes. One right side of the neck had a nonrecurrent nerve. Of the specimens where relationship was determined, the nerve was anterior to the ITA in 37% of cases and posterior in 51.4%. In relation to the LB, 45.3% were superficial (dorsolateral). The TZ was clearly delineated in 86 of the 146 specimens. No nerve traversed the tubercle. The RLN exhibited variations similar to those in other populations. The TZ when present was a reliable landmark to the nerve.
喉返神经（RLN）损伤是甲状腺切除术的一个重要但可避免的并发症。通过在其走行过程中发现的重要标志来识别神经，可以避免这种并发症。这项工作的背景是内罗毕大学的人体解剖实验室。这项工作的目的是确定肯尼亚人群中 RLN 与甲状腺下动脉（ITA）、Zuckerkandl 结节（TZ）和Berry 韧带（LB）的解剖位置关系。在对 146 个左右甲状腺叶进行解剖的过程中，确定了神经与上述标志之间的关系。有一侧颈部有非返性神经。在确定关系的标本中，神经在前 37%的情况下位于 ITA 前方，在后 51.4%的情况下位于 ITA 后方。与 LB 相比，45.3%为浅层（背外侧）。在 146 个标本中有 86 个清楚地描绘了 TZ。没有神经穿过该结节。RLN 的变异与其他人群相似。当 TZ 存在时，它是神经的可靠标志。
