INCIDENCE AND GRADING OF THE TUBERCLE OF ZUCKERKANDL 12+

📕 The tubercle of Zuckerkandl (TZ) is an important anatomical landmark which aids in the identification of recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgeries. This study evaluates the incidence and grading of a recognizable TZ in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. We found that thyroid disease was common among female patients (80%) and less in male (20%). The tubercle of Zuckerkandl was present bilaterally in 36.7% of patients and 56.7% unilaterally. Out of 60 thyroid lobes, TZ has grade 0 in 10 %, grade 1 in 6.7%, grade 2 in 33.3 % and grade 3 in 50%. The recurrent laryngeal nerve passes posterior to TZ in 86.7 % and laterally in 6.7 %. The outcome of this study proves that TZ of thyroid gland is a practical and useful landmark, which should be routinely looked for in thyroid surgery.