Abstract: Objective   To further understand the blood supply source of recurrent laryngeal nerve, determine the growth range, origin point and free end point of left and right recurrent laryngeal nerve, and provide anatomical basis for end-to-end anastomosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve.   Methods   The blood supply of recurrent laryngeal nerve was dissected in 20 female and 10 male cadavers by modified perfusion technique. In the simulated operation, the shape of recurrent laryngeal nerve was changed and the length of recurrent laryngeal nerve growth was measured after continuous free "vagal branch" operation under X2.5 times anatomical microscope. Tissue sections were taken at the stop of the free "vagolaryngeal branch" operation, the originating point of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the middle of the two, and no nerve fibers were damaged during the separation operation, and the free end point of the "vagolaryngeal branch" was defined.    Results   The blood supply to the left side of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was mainly from the aortic arch and the left common carotid artery, and the blood supply to the right side was mainly from the brachiocephalic trunk, the right common carotid artery and the right subclavian artery. The total growth of recurrent laryngeal nerve in male was (11.93±1.23) mm (left) and (3.89±0.37) mm (right), respectively. The total amount of recurrent laryngeal nerve growth in female was (10.13±0.98) mm (left) and (3.17±0.33) mm (right), respectively. At the same time, the free "vagolaryngeal branch" operation was histologically tested without nerve damage.   Conclusions   The blood supply of recurrent laryngeal nerve, the growth length of recurrent laryngeal nerve after changing nerve course and free "vagal laryngeal branch", and the data of point surface projection can provide the basis for clinical surgical repair of recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Key words: Recurrent laryngeal nerve,  ,  , Thyroid cancer,  ,  , Nerve injury,  ,  , Neuroprosthesis,  ,  , Applied anatomy