Preoperative computed tomography diagnosis of non-recurrent laryngeal nerve in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Background: The non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) is a rare but potentially serious anomaly that is commonly associated with the aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA). It is easy to damage during surgical resection of esophageal cancer, leading to severe complications.

Methods: Preoperative enhanced thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans of 2697 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated in our hospital between January 2010 and December 2013 were examined.