Unilateral True Vocal Fold Paralysis: Cause of Right‐Sided Lesions

Abstract

At the Georgetown University Center for the Voice, 778 patients were referred for evaluation between July 1, 1990, and June 30, 1995. During this 5-year period, right true vocal fold paralysis or paresis was diagnosed in 24 of these patients (3%). Videostroboscopy, voice analysis, and patient records were reviewed. Ages ranged from 23 to 80 years, and sex distribution approximated a 1:1 ratio. The patients presenting symptoms included hoarseness, dysphagia, choking, voice pitch change, voice weakness, fatigability, and breathiness. Sources of the vocal fold dysfunction included iatrogenic, traumatic, central, and infectious causes.

Diagnostic Testing for Vocal Fold Paralysis: Survey of Practice and Evidence‐Based Medicine Review

“…This is the result of the course to the differing path of the recurrent laryngeal nerve on each side of the body. A publication from Hughes et al 56 recently studied a group of 24 right-sided vocal fold paralysis cases of which nearly half were iatrogenic in nature. With regard to screening radiography, none of the remainder was found to have a primary thoracic disease accounting for their vocal fold paralysis.…”

Evaluation of the patient with hoarseness

“…Specially surgery for benign and malignant thyroid tumors, for the cervical spine and for cardiovascular disease must be mentioned [27,28]. Hughes reviewed causes of right-sided lesions and found a high number of cases of vocal cord paralysis or paresis caused by anterior laminectomy.…”