Abstract
We report on an additional innervation to the sternothyroid that, to our knowledge,
has not been previously described. During a cadaveric neck dissection, we found an
aberrant nerve to the sternothyroid in addition to the normal innervation. The classical
innervation to the sternothyroid is through the ansa cervicalis (C1-C3), and the sternothyroid
muscle is important for depression of the thyroid cartilage that is involved with
swallowing and speech. The cervical plexus is difficult and time consuming to elucidate
in fixed cadavers, which limits knowledge of variations from this source. Branches
of the plexus are delicate and can be damaged during operations on the neck. Awareness
of variations in innervation during operation reduces the chance of damage to nerves
and prevents functional changes postoperatively.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 31, 2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
