A simple method for identifying and testing the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Simultaneous stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and palpation of an impulse in the homolateral cricothyroid area was performed upon 20 patients. Electrical stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve with currents of 2 milliamperes caused no postoperative deficits in any of the patients studied. This is a simple and reproducible method to help identify the RLN and to confirm that the recurrent nerve is intact and viable at the completion of a surgical procedure. The technique is simpler than checking cord motion at the conclusion of surgical procedures upon the thyroid or parathyroid glands. Due to the variability of the response in some of the patients, we believe that the procedure should be tried on more patients before it is recommended as a conclusive test.