Can postoperative laryngeal examination be neglected in thyroid and parathyroid patients with no loss of signal after intraoperative neuromonitoring?

WOS: 000461107900005Objective: We aimed to evaluate the necessity and the worthiness of postoperative vocal cord examination in cases with no loss of signal during intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated cases that had no loss of signal during intraoperative nerve monitoring in cases who underwent thyroid and parathyroid surgery in our endocrine surgery unit, between January 2014 - January 2017. Results: A total of 171 patients were analyzed who had no loss of signal during IONM. It was observed that 94 of the patients (55%) had at least one previous surgery and 77 (45%) underwent their first operation. Ninety-one patients were monitored with continuous-IONM and 80 with intermittent-IONM. All patients' preoperative and postoperative laryngeal examinations were identical and no postoperative vocal cord problems were observed. Conclusion: The signal from the vagus nerve is sufficiently sensitive to show the postoperative vocal cord functions after resection in patients having no loss of signal during IONM. We support the idea that postoperative vocal cord examination may be neglected in these patients