Protecting the Voice Nerve During Thyroid Surgery
By: Gary L Clayman, Rashmi Roy, James Norman
One of the biggest risks of thyroid surgery is injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN)—the tiny but vital nerve that controls the vocal cords. Even a temporary injury can cause hoarseness, vocal weakness, or difficulty speaking, which can be devastating for patients.
A team at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, including Drs. Clayman, Roy, and Norman, tested a new idea: placing a special biologic covering, called human amnion/chorion membrane (HACM), over the nerve during thyroidectomy. This membrane, derived from donated birth tissue, has been used in wound healing and nerve repair in other areas of medicine.
The study compared 67 patients who received the HACM covering with 134 matched controls who did not. The results were striking:
In the control group, 12.5% of patients had voice changes immediately after surgery, with some lasting for weeks.
In the HACM group, only 1.5% experienced voice changes, and those resolved within a week.
This suggests that the membrane may protect the nerve during surgery, reducing both the risk and the duration of vocal cord problems.
While more research is needed in larger clinical trials, these early results are promising. For patients, it means that a simple, safe addition to thyroid surgery could protect their voices—and their quality of life—after surgery.
