Continuous Intraoperative Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Monitoring: Techniques, Applications, and Controversies

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Purpose of the present review is to illustrate the current state of the art concerning continuous intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring (cIONM) for thyroid surgery. Recent Findings: cIONM potentially leads to an improved postoperative vocal cord palsy rate, compared to the intermittent technique. There are currently two main approaches for cIONM: either conventional cIONM based on vagal nerve stimulation or experimental methods, which do not require the positioning of a vagal nerve electrode. One of these methods is the recently described technique “LAR-cIONM,” which utilizes the laryngeal adductor reflex. Summary: cIONM represents an advancement of intermittent nerve monitoring, which allows for an immediate reaction to signal changes. Threshold values and guidelines to prevent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were validated for the direct stimulation of the vagal nerve and require verification for alterative cIONM methods, including LAR-cIONM.