Landmark-Based Localization of the Ansa Cervicalis and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve for Anastomotic Reinnervation: A Cadaveric Study
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Donor Criteria and Preparation Protocol
2.2. Dissection Procedure and Measurement Techniques
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Landmark-Referenced Entry Point Distances
3.2. Ansa Cervicalis Morphology
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| ARA | Ansa cervicalis-to-recurrent laryngeal nerve anastomosis |
| ANOVA | Analysis of variance |
| RLN | Recurrent laryngeal nerve |
| UVFP | Unilateral vocal fold paralysis |
| SD | Standard deviation |
| CI | Confidence interval |
| IBC | Institutional Biosafety Committee |
| ICC | Intraclass correlation coefficient |
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| Characteristic | Age (Years) | Height (m) | n | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | Range | Mean ± SD | Range | ||
| Overall | 77 ± 13 | 48–96 | 1.7 ± 0.1 | 1.5–2.0 | 23 |
| Male | 80 ± 15 | 55–96 | 1.8 ± 0.1 | 1.7–2.0 | 9 |
| Female | 75 ± 11 | 48–90 | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.5–1.8 | 14 |
| Measurement | Mean (mm) | SD (mm) | Range (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansa cervicalis: mediolateral (entry point to midline) | 34.5 | 8.3 | 15.7–57.0 |
| Ansa cervicalis: superoinferior (to inferior thyroid border) | 23.8 | 12.0 | 4.9–61.2 |
| Ansa cervicalis: straight-line distance (derived) | 43.3 | 9.7 | 30.6–79.6 |
| RLN: mediolateral (entry point to midline) | 48.2 | 11.9 | 31.9–78.7 |
| RLN: superoinferior (to inferior thyroid border) | 26.0 | 8.7 | 8.7–47.0 |
| RLN: straight-line distance (derived) | 55.5 | 11.7 | 38.2–82.1 |
| Measurement (mm) | Overall | Male | Female | Right | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Root | 34.7 ± 13.4 (n = 27) | 34.5 ± 15.4 (n = 11) | 34.8 ± 12.4 (n = 16) | 34.9 ± 15.7 (n = 13) | 34.4 ± 11.6 (n = 14) |
| Inferior Root | 38.6 ± 15.3 (n = 27) | 37.8 ± 17.0 (n = 11) | 39.1 ± 14.5 (n = 16) | 38.9 ± 18.8 (n = 13) | 38.3 ± 11.9 (n = 14) |
| Main Branch | 42.6 ± 17.1 (n = 30) | 46.7 ± 17.6 (n = 12) | 39.9 ± 16.8 (n = 18) | 39.9 ± 17.1 (n = 14) | 45.0 ± 17.3 (n = 16) |
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Hyler, J.; Wang, J.; Johnson, P.; Singerman, K.; Brown, J.; Sloan, S. Landmark-Based Localization of the Ansa Cervicalis and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve for Anastomotic Reinnervation: A Cadaveric Study. Anatomia 2026, 5, 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia5030020
Hyler J, Wang J, Johnson P, Singerman K, Brown J, Sloan S. Landmark-Based Localization of the Ansa Cervicalis and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve for Anastomotic Reinnervation: A Cadaveric Study. Anatomia. 2026; 5(3):20. https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia5030020
Chicago/Turabian StyleHyler, Jack, Janice Wang, Paige Johnson, Kyle Singerman, Jason Brown, and Sara Sloan. 2026. "Landmark-Based Localization of the Ansa Cervicalis and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve for Anastomotic Reinnervation: A Cadaveric Study" Anatomia 5, no. 3: 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia5030020
APA StyleHyler, J., Wang, J., Johnson, P., Singerman, K., Brown, J., & Sloan, S. (2026). Landmark-Based Localization of the Ansa Cervicalis and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve for Anastomotic Reinnervation: A Cadaveric Study. Anatomia, 5(3), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia5030020

