[Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring System during Esophagectomy to Prevent Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy].

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy can result in motility disorders of the vocal cord muscles and/or fatal respiratory complications. Procedures aimed at checking for intraoperative RLN injuries have not been established. Intraoperative nerve monitoring( IONM) informs electromyographic activity of the vocal cord muscles to a surgeon by visual and aural signals. In this chapter, we introduce methods for using IONM during esophageal cancer surgery. Since we introduced IONM, several cases in which surgeons have had difficulty visually identifying the RLN have been reported. In those cases, the RLN was definitively identified using IONM. IONM can be used safely, simply, and promptly during esophageal cancer surgery for identifying the RLN to prevent and predict postoperative RLN palsy. This useful device is possible to improve the safety of the surgical procedures subsequently.