Electromyographic endotracheal tube placement during thyroid surgery in neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve

• Published in: The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences 2011-03, Vol.27 (3), p.96-101
• Main Authors: Tsai, Cheng-Jing, Tseng, Kuang-Yi, Wang, Fu-Yuan, Lu, I-Cheng, Wang, Hsun-Mo, Wu, Che-Wei, Chiang, Hui-Ching, Chiang, Feng-Yu, 蔡承靜, 曾光毅, 王富元, 盧奕丞, 王遜模, 吳哲維, 姜慧菁, 江豐裕
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electromyography - methods; EMG endotracheal tube; Endotracheal tube displacement; Humans; Internal Medicine; Intraoperative neuromonitoring; Intraoperative Period; Intubation, Intratracheal - methods; Laryngeal Nerves - physiopathology; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Thyroid Diseases - surgery; Thyroid surgery; 氣管內管移位; 測肌電圖之氣管內管; 甲狀腺手術; 術中神經學監測
• ISSN: 1607-551X; 2410-8650
• DOI: 10.1016/j.kjms.2010.08.002

Abstract Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is widely used in thyroid surgery. This study aimed to investigate the influence of neck extension on electromyographic (EMG) endotracheal tube displacement and to determine the necessity of routinely checking the final electrode position after the patient had been fully positioned. A consecutive 220 patients undergoing thyroidectomy were enrolled. All patients were intubated with the EMG endotracheal tube under direct laryngoscopy. The electrode position and tube displacement were routinely checked and measured by laryngofiberoscopy before and after patient positioning. The patients were divided into two groups. In Group I ( n = 110), the EMG tube was taped and fixed to the right mouth angle before full neck extension. In Group II ( n = 110), the EMG tube was disconnected from the circuit tube and was not taped until full neck extension. In all patients, we ensured that the final electrode position was the optimal position with laryngofiberoscopic examination. The tube displacement after neck extension ranged from 16 mm upward to 4 mm downward in Group I and from 12 mm upward to 5 mm downward in Group II. The rate of tube displacement greater than 10 mm was 12.7% in Group I and 3.6% in Group II. Successful monitoring was achieved in all patients after the final optimal position of electrodes was ensured routinely. The electrode position can be severely displaced after the patient has been fully positioned. Verification of ideal position of electrodes before the beginning of the operation is a necessary step to guarantee functional intraoperative neuromonitoring.