The recurrent laryngeal nerve is also known as the inferior laryngeal nerve. The right nerve branches from the vagus at the root of the neck around the right subclavian artery. It courses superiorly in the tracheoesophageal groove to enter the larynx between the cricopharyngeus and the esophagus.
Emphysema is a form of chronic (long-term) lung disease. People with emphysema have difficulty breathing from a limitation in blowing air out. There are multiple causes of emphysema, but smoking is by far the most common. Emphysema is one of the main types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Progression of Emphysema: How Do You Know It's Near the End? David Kaufman, M.D., Health Professional Emphysema is one of the main diseases included in the diagnosis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The other is chronic bronchitis. Most people with COPD have a combination of both. Some people have mostly chronic bronchitis, while others have mostly emphysema. In most cases, COPD is a disease caused by cigarette smoking.