[The anastomotic loop between recurrent laryngeal nerves: an anatomic reality].

The authors present the result of an anatomical study carried out on human laryngeal nerves. During the study, stressed not only were classic anatomical data relating to the morphology of the nervous system of the larynx, evidentiated and photographically documented, but the constant presence of an anastomotic nervous loop between the two recurrent nerves was revealed as well. This loop has been mentioned only in the most recent specialized Literature. Analysis was carried out on thirteen fresh anatomical models, taken from 13 corpses (7 men and 6 women aged from 48 to 84) during autopsy. The first phase dissection carefully eliminated those tissues not directly related to the nervous formations which were, however, subsequently analysed in detail. The superior laryngeal nerves, the recurrent nerves and the collateral ramification were then totally isolated. The anastomotic loop in question links the two recurrent nerves at the crossing of the oesophagus-tracheal virtual space. It appears to originate on the right as well as on the left side, respectively at the cervicodiastinal junction level and in the thorax. The anastomosis was isolated in each specimen. Its constant presence and its morphology should be proof enough of its being an anatomical and surgical reality. Only in one case did the loop pass in front of trachea instead of crossing the oesophagus-tracheal space, while maintaining, however, the same inclination and morphology. A future, wider study should focus on the understanding of the loop's function, as well as of its possible utilization in surgical therapy of laryngeal paralysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)