Gross Anatomy USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 42-year-old male with medullary thyroid carcinoma undergoes total thyroidectomy. Postoperatively, he presents with hoarseness and a breathy, weak voice quality. Vital signs are stable (BP 128/82, HR 88, RR 16, Temp 98.6°F, SpO2 98%). Laryngoscopy reveals incomplete left vocal cord abduction during inspiration. He denies dysphagia or aspiration. Intraoperative nerve monitoring was not utilized. Postoperative laryngeal imaging shows no hematoma. Damage to which nerve during surgery most likely caused this vocal cord dysfunction?
Answer choices
- ARecurrent laryngeal nerveCorrect answer
- BInternal laryngeal nerve
- CThyroarytenoid muscle
- DVocal folds
- EVestibular folds
- FSuperior laryngeal nerve
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.