The Non-recurrent Laryngeal Nerve -- A Rare Phenomenon Which Requires Vigilance.

The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) innervates all the important laryngeal muscles except the cricothyroid. Careful dissection of the RLN during surgery reduces the risk of damage. The non-RLN (NRLN) is a rare anatomical anomaly of the RLN, with an incidence of 0.5 to 0.7% in thyroid surgery (1). It is difficult to identify this anomaly preoperatively unless an associated vascular anomaly is suspected. This study aims to emphasize the awareness of the possibility of a NRLN to prevent iatrogenic injury.