Bilateral Vocal Cord Palsy after Thyroidectomy Detected by McGrath Videolaryngoscope / 대한내분비외과학회지

Bilateral vocal cord palsy (BVCP) is a rare complication of thyroid surgery, and it is confusing and frustrating for both patients and medical staff. We found postoperative vocal cord dysfunction using a McGrath videolaryngoscope from a patient with stridor and dyspnea after thyroidectomy performed with intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring. Soon after, the patient was diagnosed with BVCP by an ENT otolaryngologist using a laryngeal fiberscope. The patient underwent exploration and received a permanent tracheostoma. The possibility of false negative findings from intraoperative nerve monitoring should considered if there is suspicion of BVCP in a high risk patient after thyroidectomy. The McGrath video-laryngoscope can be useful for early discovery of postoperative vocal cord dysfunction.

Bilateral Vocal Cord Palsy as the Sole Presentation of Acquired Syphilis

Bilateral vocal cord palsy is almost always caused by neck surgery, particularly surgery of the thyroid. We report a case of bilateral vocal cord palsy requiring emergency surgery to relieve the airway obstruction as the sole presentation of acquired syphilis. As the incidence of syphilis worldwide is rising, this unusual presentation may give clinicians a different perspective on the disease.

Bilateral vocal cord palsy in a post-anesthesia care unit after total thyroidectomy: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

A patient had respiratory difficulty and hoarseness following total thyroidectomy due to bilateral vocal cord palsy. The patient was a 60-year-old man who underwent total thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. He had no laryngeal symptoms prior to the operation. Anesthesia lasted 3.5 hours and was uneventful. Spontaneous respiration resumed after reversal of the neuromuscular blockade. After arriving at the post-anesthesia care unit, he complained of respiratory difficulty and hoarseness. We confirmed bilateral vocal cord palsy by fiberoptic laryngoscopy. It is necessary to perform a complete and thorough search for the underlying cause of vocal cord palsy.

LASER Medial Arytenoidectomy in Two Patients of Bilateral Vocal Cord Palsy / 대한이비인후과학회지

Severe airway obstruction occur in bilateral vocal cord paralysis. There exists a variety of treatment methods including external and endoscopic approaches, the endoscopic LASER techniques are more desirable. However, total LASER arytenoidectomy may improve the airway but worsen the voice quality. As an alternative approach, resection medial portion of the arytenoid cartilage may improve the airway with less impairment of voice quality. Our results show that medial arytenoidectomy may be a better treatment method for bilateral vocal cord palsy than the total LASER arytenoidectomy.

Postoperative Evaluation of Laser Arytenoidectomy / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND: As methods of improving the airway insufficiency of patients with bilateral vocal cord paralysis, a variety of procedures have been developed such as tracheostomy and endoscopic arytenoidectomy. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of laser arytenoidectomy in a view to decannulation, aspiration, pulmonary function, and voice analysis in a retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five patients with bilateral vocal cord paralysis had been performed laser arytenoidectomy. Postoperatively, presence of aspiration, decannulation timing and complications were evaluated. The pulmonary function tests were performed preoperatively and postoperatively, while voice analysis was performed only postoperatively. RESULTS: Aspiration was not noticed in all patients after arytenoidectomy, and four patients were decannulated within three months after surgery. Endotracheal tube was ignited in one patient. The results of pulmonary function tests and voice analysis were satisfactory. CONCLUSION: We concluded that laser arytenoidectomy was reliable in the management of the bilateral vocal cord palsy.