Acquired unilateral vocal fold paralysis: Retrospective analysis of a single institutional experience

Background: Vocal cord paralysis continues to be an important issue in laryngology and is considered as a sign of underlying disease ; the etiologies of this problem are varied and changing. Aims: The study was to carry out a retrospective analysis of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis diagnosed. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 53 patients diagnosed and treated for unilateral vocal fold paralysis were studied retrospectively. Data regarding age, sex, duration of symptoms, etiology, and side of paralysis were recorded. Results: Out of the 53 cases, 36 were females and 17 males with a ratio of 2.1:1. The age of the patients ranged from 17-75 years. In 18.9% the cause was idiopathic. Surgical trauma (iatrogenic) problems was the most encountered etiology (66%), others included malignancy (non laryngeal) (7.5%), central (3.8%), external neck trauma (1.9%) and radiation therapy 1.9%. Thyroid surgery was the most commonly reported neck surgery in 50.9%. Conclusions: Thyroidectomy continues to be the single most common surgical procedure responsible for unilateral vocal cord paralysis. For this reason, routine pre and postoperative laryngoscopy should be considered in all patients undergoing surgeries with a potential risk for recurrent nerve paralysis to reduce the postoperative morbidity.