The vocal folds are important for protection of the airway during swallowing, the regulation of breathing and for voice production. Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVP) is caused by damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Although surgery is most often linked to onset of UVP, the cause remains unknown in 12-42% of those with this disorder [1, 2]. At the level of the aortic arch the RLN branches from the vagus nerve and courses around the arch to ascend back toward the larynx. I hypothesize that an aneurysm of the aorta or alternatively changes in aortic arch compliance could impose increased stress and strain on the RLN where it is adjacent to the aorta resulting in impaired nerve function. The purpose of this research is to develop a computational model based on the biomechanical properties of the left RLN. This model is important for formulating predictions of the typical ranges of stress and strain responses of RLN tissue to forces imposed by surrounding structures (aortic arch). These predictions may be important for future investigations using an animal model to determine the amount of stretch necessary to cause onset of UVP. The first aim of this work was to identify differences in the biomechanical properties in the RLN of piglets between its location within the neck and the portion of the left RLN within the thorax, including the aortic arch region. The distal right RLN segment showed higher maximum tangential modulus (MTM) than the left. With the left nerve the proximal segment (aortic arch region) exhibited higher values of MTM and the stiffness parameter β than the distal segment. This increased stiffness of the proximal region may be in response to the pulsatile forces near the region of the aortic arch. The second aim of this work was to identify difference in the biomechanical properties in adolescent and piglet RLN specimens, between age and between the proximal and distal segments. Additionally the collagen structure of the RLN was imaged with two-photon microscopy to compare the microstructure with the biomechanical response of the RLN tissue. The tangential modulus (TM) and full width half maximum of the collagen fiber distribution (FWHM) was larger in the proximal segments than the distal segments. The strain energy and stiffness parameter α were larger in the piglet than the adolescent pigs while the stiffness parameter β was larger in the adolescent pigs. The purpose of the third aim was to use the material constants from the second aim to create a parametric computational model of the left RLN and the aortic arch. Results indicated that the parameters with the greatest sensitivity to left RLN maximum principal stress and strain are the material properties of the aortic arch. The maximum value of strain found in the RLN region of interest was 16.1%, which may indicate that some combination of aortic arch and RLN properties can elicit damage in the RLN.

A intervenção cirúrgica sobre a glândula tireóide pode apresentar diversas complicações, sendo uma das mais temidas é a lesão dos nervos laríngeos recorrentes que leva a paresia ou paralisia da prega vocal em até 15% dos pacientes conforme registra a literatura. No entanto, muitas vezes os índices de lesão do nervo são subestimados, pois muitas vezes apenas pacientes com sintomas importantes são investigados, muitas vezes, no entanto, a preocupação com a lesão do nervo é crucial durante o ato cirúrgico, especialmente em dissecções bilaterais do nervo. Apesar dos enormes avanços tecnológicos dos últimos tempos, esta complicação apenas diminui, não desapareceu. Diversas técnicas de diagnóstico intra-operatório de viabilidade do nervo foram desenvolvidas nas últimas décadas, porém muitas delas de difícil execução prática, outras apresentam altos índices de complicações e outras ainda tem pouca especificidade no diagnóstico da lesão do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Uma das técnicas de maior aceitação é a monitorização intra-operatória não invasiva dos nervos laríngeos recorrentes através da utilização do eletrodo de superfície acoplado à cânula endotraqueal. Esta técnica apresenta diversas vantagens pois não estende o tempo cirúrgico, não há necessidade de modificação da técnica operatória ou anestésica e é de fácil utilização e assimilação pela equipe médica. No entanto muito se discute hoje na literatura sobre os reais benefícios desta tecnologia e qual o impacto na diminuição da lesão pósoperatória do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Assim foi estudado através de um estudo duplo-cego e randomizado a evolução de pacientes submetidos à tireoidectomia com e sem a utilização da monitorização intra-operatória do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Para tal análise avaliamos e comparamos os resultados pré e pós operatório dos parâmetros de mobilidade das pregas vocais (através da laringoscopia direta) e função (através da análise vocal auditiva e acústica), além do tempo gasto na identificação do nervo laríngeo recorrente no intra-operatório. Os pacientes foram operados consecutivamente pelo mesmo cirurgião e submetidos à mesma técnica operatória e anestésica, sendo a utilização do equipamento definida por sorteio no momento da indução anestésica. Os resultados desta comparação não mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas na comparação tanto dos achados de laringoscopia, quanto na análise vocal pelos parâmetros auditivos e acústicos, tão pouco houve diferença no tempo gasto na dissecção do nervo. A maior vantagem apresentada pela utilização do sistema de monitoramento intra-operatório foi conseguir predizer a perda de função do nervo laríngeo recorrente já no intra-operatório. Desta forma, o estudo foi capaz de afirmar que a utilização da monitorização intra-operatória não invasiva do nervo laríngeo recorrente não traz melhora dos índices de lesão do nervo, nem diminuição do tempo gasto na sua identificação, sua maior vantagem é identificar possíveis injúrias sobre o nervo já no intra-operatório / The surgery of the thyroid gland could present several complications, one of the most feared is the recurrent laryngeal nerve injury leading to vocal fold paresy or paralysis up to 15% of patients according to literature. However, many times the rate of nerve injury are underestimated because frequently only patients with significant symptoms are investigated, often however the concern about the nerve injury is crucial during surgery, especially in bilateral dissections of the nerve. Despite enormous technological advances of recent times, this kind of complication only diminishes, not disappeared. Several techniques of intraoperative nerve viability have been developed in recent decades, but many of them are difficult to implement, others have high rates of complications and still others have little specificity in the diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. One of the most accepted techniques for nerve evaluation is the noninvasive intraoperative monitoring by using surface electrodes attached to the endotracheal tube. This approach has several advantages because it no extends the operating time, no need modification of surgical or anesthetic technique and is easy to use and be assimilated by the surgical team. However there is no consensus in the literature about the real benefits of this technology and what is its impact on the reduction of postoperative injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. It was evaluated by a double-blind, randomized study of patients underwent thyroidectomies with and without the use of intraoperative monitoring sistem of recurrent laryngeal nerve. For this analysis we evaluated and compared the results of preoperative and postoperative parameters of vocal fold mobility (by direct laryngoscopy) and function (through vocal and and acoustic analysis), the time spent in identifying the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery was also compared. The patients were operated by the same surgeon and by the same surgical and anesthesia techniques, and the use of the equipment was determined by drawing. The results of this comparison showed no statistically significant differences when comparing the findings of laryngoscopy and the vocal and acoustic parameters also there was no difference in time spent in the dissection of the nerve. The major advantage presented by the use of intraoperative monitoring system was the capacity to predict the loss of function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery. Thus the study was able to assert that the use of the noninvasive intraoperative monitoring system does not improve the rates of nerve injury neither less time was spent on its identification, the major advantage is to identify possible injuries of the nerve intraoperatively

The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) innervates all the intrinsic muscles of the larynx that are responsible for human vocalization and language. The RLN runs along the tracheoesophageal groove bilaterally and is often accidentally damaged or transected during head and neck surgical procedures. RLN palsy and vocal cord paralysis are the most common and serious post op complications of thyroid surgeries. Patients who suffer from RLN injury can develop unilateral or bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP). Theoretically, selective reinnervation of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle would be the best treatment for BVFP. The phrenic nerve has been shown in several studies to be the best candidate to anastomose to the distal end of a severed RLN to restore glottal abduction. Successful PCA reinnervation has been sporadically achieved in both human patients and in animal models. Another notable ramification of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury is vocal instability caused by the alteration of mechanical properties within the larynx. In phonosurgery, alterations to the position and framework of the laryngeal apparatus are made to improve voice quality. Accurate and realistic synthetic models are greatly needed to predict the outcome of various adjustments to vocal cord tension and position that could be made surgically. Despite the sporadically successful attempts at PCA reinnervation, thus far, there are still several deficits in our anatomical familiarity and technological capability, which hinder the regularity of successful PCA reinnervation surgeries and our capacity to generate synthetic models of the human larynx that are both realistic and functional. We will address three of these deficits in this project using the porcine larynx as a model. Firstly, we will identify the anatomical variations of the porcine recurrent laryngeal nerve branches. A microscribe digitizer will be used to create three-dimensional mapping of the recurrent laryngeal nerve branches that are relevant to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle and the abduction of the vocal folds. Secondly, we will develop a magnetic resonance imaging technique to correlate recurrent laryngeal nerve branching patterns with high-resolution MR images that can be used to determine the branching patterns present in a given specimen without surgery. Lastly, we will determine the distribution and composition of different tissue types found within human vocal folds. High resolution MRI, and Mallory's trichrome and H&E histological staining will be used to distinguish and identify the tissue composition of the vocal folds and surrounding laryngeal structures. Detailed information regarding vocal fold tissue composition and histological geometry will enable laryngeal modelers to select more sophisticated and life-like materials with which to construct synthetic vocal fold models.

A intervenção cirúrgica sobre a glândula tireóide pode apresentar diversas complicações, sendo uma das mais temidas é a lesão dos nervos laríngeos recorrentes que leva a paresia ou paralisia da prega vocal em até 15% dos pacientes conforme registra a literatura. No entanto, muitas vezes os índices de lesão do nervo são subestimados, pois muitas vezes apenas pacientes com sintomas importantes são investigados, muitas vezes, no entanto, a preocupação com a lesão do nervo é crucial durante o ato cirúrgico, especialmente em dissecções bilaterais do nervo. Apesar dos enormes avanços tecnológicos dos últimos tempos, esta complicação apenas diminui, não desapareceu. Diversas técnicas de diagnóstico intra-operatório de viabilidade do nervo foram desenvolvidas nas últimas décadas, porém muitas delas de difícil execução prática, outras apresentam altos índices de complicações e outras ainda tem pouca especificidade no diagnóstico da lesão do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Uma das técnicas de maior aceitação é a monitorização intra-operatória não invasiva dos nervos laríngeos recorrentes através da utilização do eletrodo de superfície acoplado à cânula endotraqueal. Esta técnica apresenta diversas vantagens pois não estende o tempo cirúrgico, não há necessidade de modificação da técnica operatória ou anestésica e é de fácil utilização e assimilação pela equipe médica. No entanto muito se discute hoje na literatura sobre os reais benefícios desta tecnologia e qual o impacto na diminuição da lesão pósoperatória do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Assim foi estudado através de um estudo duplo-cego e randomizado a evolução de pacientes submetidos à tireoidectomia com e sem a utilização da monitorização intra-operatória do nervo laríngeo recorrente. Para tal análise avaliamos e comparamos os resultados pré e pós operatório dos parâmetros de mobilidade das pregas vocais (através da laringoscopia direta) e função (através da análise vocal auditiva e acústica), além do tempo gasto na identificação do nervo laríngeo recorrente no intra-operatório. Os pacientes foram operados consecutivamente pelo mesmo cirurgião e submetidos à mesma técnica operatória e anestésica, sendo a utilização do equipamento definida por sorteio no momento da indução anestésica. Os resultados desta comparação não mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas na comparação tanto dos achados de laringoscopia, quanto na análise vocal pelos parâmetros auditivos e acústicos, tão pouco houve diferença no tempo gasto na dissecção do nervo. A maior vantagem apresentada pela utilização do sistema de monitoramento intra-operatório foi conseguir predizer a perda de função do nervo laríngeo recorrente já no intra-operatório. Desta forma, o estudo foi capaz de afirmar que a utilização da monitorização intra-operatória não invasiva do nervo laríngeo recorrente não traz melhora dos índices de lesão do nervo, nem diminuição do tempo gasto na sua identificação, sua maior vantagem é identificar possíveis injúrias sobre o nervo já no intra-operatório / The surgery of the thyroid gland could present several complications, one of the most feared is the recurrent laryngeal nerve injury leading to vocal fold paresy or paralysis up to 15% of patients according to literature. However, many times the rate of nerve injury are underestimated because frequently only patients with significant symptoms are investigated, often however the concern about the nerve injury is crucial during surgery, especially in bilateral dissections of the nerve. Despite enormous technological advances of recent times, this kind of complication only diminishes, not disappeared. Several techniques of intraoperative nerve viability have been developed in recent decades, but many of them are difficult to implement, others have high rates of complications and still others have little specificity in the diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. One of the most accepted techniques for nerve evaluation is the noninvasive intraoperative monitoring by using surface electrodes attached to the endotracheal tube. This approach has several advantages because it no extends the operating time, no need modification of surgical or anesthetic technique and is easy to use and be assimilated by the surgical team. However there is no consensus in the literature about the real benefits of this technology and what is its impact on the reduction of postoperative injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. It was evaluated by a double-blind, randomized study of patients underwent thyroidectomies with and without the use of intraoperative monitoring sistem of recurrent laryngeal nerve. For this analysis we evaluated and compared the results of preoperative and postoperative parameters of vocal fold mobility (by direct laryngoscopy) and function (through vocal and and acoustic analysis), the time spent in identifying the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery was also compared. The patients were operated by the same surgeon and by the same surgical and anesthesia techniques, and the use of the equipment was determined by drawing. The results of this comparison showed no statistically significant differences when comparing the findings of laryngoscopy and the vocal and acoustic parameters also there was no difference in time spent in the dissection of the nerve. The major advantage presented by the use of intraoperative monitoring system was the capacity to predict the loss of function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery. Thus the study was able to assert that the use of the noninvasive intraoperative monitoring system does not improve the rates of nerve injury neither less time was spent on its identification, the major advantage is to identify possible injuries of the nerve intraoperatively

<div> <div> <div> <p>People with epilepsy have an increased risk of mortality when compared to the general population. These increased mortality risks include deaths related to status epilepticus and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Physiological data describing cardiac, respiratory, and brain function prior to sudden death in epilepsy is crucial to the studying the underlying mechanisms behind these deaths. Because it is unknown when sudden deaths in epilepsy may occur, continuous monitoring is necessary to guarantee the capture of physiological data prior to death. </p> <p>I have used custom designed implantable devices to continuously measure cardiac, respiratory, and neurological signals in freely behaving rats with chronically induced epilepsy. Due to the continuous respiration measurements, the resultant dataset is the first of its kind. This dataset indicates that respiratory abnormalities (reduced respiration and short apneas) occur during and after seizures. These abnormalities may indicate SUDEP onset because obstructive apneas due to laryngospasm have been indicated as possible causes of SUDEP in other studies. </p> <p>Laryngospasms can be caused by gastric acid coming into contact with the larynx. During a laryngospasm, intrinsic laryngeal muscles contract, resulting in the closure of the airway. Recently published research has indicated that acid reflux may be responsible for triggering fatal laryngospasms in rats with induced seizures. I have found that the larynx can be opened during a laryngospasm by electrically stimulating the recurrent laryngeal nerves. I have also found that performing gastric vagotomies leads to a statistically significant reduction in mortality due to fatal apneas in rats with induced seizures. </p> </div> </div> </div>