Study note

Laryngoscopy before thyroid surgery

THE CONTEXT

Preoperative laryngeal examination assesses vocal cord movement and can identify a finding strongly associated with thyroid malignancy.

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Flexible laryngoscopy is widely used before surgery to determine vocal cord mobility and has rendered indirect laryngoscopy obsolete.

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Unilateral vocal cord palsy together with a concerning thyroid nodule on the same side is usually diagnostic of malignant disease.

NEETx

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