Christella Antoni explains that during thyroid gland removal—whether for a cyst, cancer, enlargement, or other reasons—the laryngeal nerve is at risk because of how closely it runs to the thyroid. Surgeons try to remove all or part of the gland while minimising harm, but some bruising of the nerve may occur. In more serious cases, the nerve can be partially severed or severed, sometimes as an expected consequence when a large gland must be removed, and other times inadvertently due to positioning or other factors that make nerve compromise difficult to avoid.