EFFECT OF DEXMEDETOMİDİNE ON RECURRENT LARYNGEAL NERVE MONİTORİNG: A COMPARATİVE STUDY WİTH MİDAZOLAM

This prospective observational study was conducted to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine compared with midazolam on intraoperative monitoring of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during thyroid surgery. Sixty adult patients scheduled for thyroidectomy under general anesthesia with intraoperative nerve monitoring were enrolled. Patients were allocated to receive either dexmedetomidine or midazolam as part of anesthesia induction. The primary objective was to compare the time required to identify the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the quality of electromyographic signals between the two groups. Secondary outcomes included time to vagus nerve identification, intraoperative hemodynamic changes such as bradycardia or hypotension, amplitude and latency of RLN signals, extubation time, postoperative nausea and vomiting, sedation scores, and length of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit. The study was approved by the Amasya University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Approval No: E-30640013-050.04-246788). Findings from this study may contribute to optimizing anesthetic protocols for thyroid surgery to improve patient safety and surgical outcomes.