A patient undergoes biopsy of a lesion just below the free edge of the left vocal cord under topical anaesthesia. The surgeon notes that the mucosa at this level requires additional infiltration because it is exquisitely sensitive. Which nerve provides the sensory supply to the laryngeal mucosa below the vocal folds?

• A Internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
• B External branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
• C Recurrent laryngeal nerve ✓
• D Glossopharyngeal nerve

Explanation

The recurrent laryngeal nerve carries all sensory fibres from the laryngeal mucosa below the vocal folds up to the first two tracheal rings. Above the cords, sensation travels via the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve through the thyrohyoid membrane. The external branch is purely motor to the cricothyroid, and the glossopharyngeal supplies the oropharynx, not the infraglottic larynx.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy, 42nd ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.