A clinical study of recurrent laryngeal nerve reconstruction using artificial nerves: A retrospective analysis of 11 cases

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury after thyroid surgery can cause severe voice dysfunction.While autologous nerve grafting has been the standard, it presents challenges such as donor site morbidity.This study retrospectively analyzed 11 cases (4 males, 7 females, median age 60 years) of RLN reconstruction using artificial nerve conduits.Nerbridge Ⓡ was used in 6 cases and ReNerve Ⓡ in 5, with nerve anastomosis or nerve transfer performed based on the nerve defect length.Postoperatively, recovery of voluntary vocal cord movement was not observed in any patient.However, some cases showed improvements in voice function, such as extended maximum phonation time and better GRBAS scores, suggesting the potential utility of artificial nerves.No wound complications or foreign body reactions attributable to the artificial nerves were noted, indicating their safe applicability.This study demonstrates that artificial nerve conduits can be technically applied to reconstruct the motor RLN and potentially contribute to voice function preservation or improvement under specific conditions.This offers a safe and feasible option, especially when autologous nerve procurement is difficult.Nevertheless, further evidence is crucial, requiring increased case numbers, objective functional assessments including electrophysiological analyses, and long-term follow-up studies.