Zuckerkandl's tubercle
Encyclopedia
Zuckerkandl's tubercle is a pyramidal extension of the thyroid gland, present at the most posterior side of each lobe. Emil Zuckerkandl
described it in 1902 as the processus posterior glandulae thyroideae. Although the structure is named after Zuckerkandl, it was discovered first by Otto Madelung in 1867 as the posterior horn of the thyroid. The structure is important in thyroid surgery as it is closely related to the recurrent laryngeal nerve
, the inferior thyroid artery
, Berry's ligament and the parathyroid glands. The structure is subject to an important amount of anatomic variation , and therefore a size classification is proposed by Pelizzo et al.
Emil Zuckerkandl
----Emil Zuckerkandl was a Hungarian-Austrian anatomist.He was educated at the University of Vienna and was an admiring student of Josef Hyrtl...
described it in 1902 as the processus posterior glandulae thyroideae. Although the structure is named after Zuckerkandl, it was discovered first by Otto Madelung in 1867 as the posterior horn of the thyroid. The structure is important in thyroid surgery as it is closely related to the recurrent laryngeal nerve
Recurrent laryngeal nerve
The recurrent laryngeal nerve is a branch of the vagus nerve that supplies motor function and sensation to the larynx . It travels within the endoneurium...
, the inferior thyroid artery
Inferior thyroid artery
The inferior thyroid artery arrises from the thyrocervical trunk and passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and Longus colli, then turns medially behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the...
, Berry's ligament and the parathyroid glands. The structure is subject to an important amount of anatomic variation , and therefore a size classification is proposed by Pelizzo et al.