Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 25, Issue 4 , Pages 203-206, April 2009

Ortner's Syndrome—a Rare Cause of Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis: A Case Report

  • Rong-Feng Chen
    • ,
  • Chen-Tung Lin
    • ,
  • Chih-Hao Lu

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Chih-Hao Lu, Department of Otolaryngology, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, 2 Chung-Cheng 1st Road, Kaohsiung 802, Taiwan

Department of Otolaryngology, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Received 21 November 2008; accepted 15 January 2009.

Article Outline

Hoarseness attributed to vocal cord palsy is associated with injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Hoarseness resulting from left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, cardiovocal syndrome (Ortner's syndrome), has rarely been reported. We present the case of a 79-year-old male suffering from hoarseness in the absence of significant clinical manifestations. A flexible laryngoscope was used to identify a paralyzed left vocal cord, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a large thrombus-filled aneurysmal dilation of the aortic arch. The severity of the vocal cord paralysis was improved by surgical intervention. This case illustrates that life-threatening cardiovascular comorbidities can cause hoarseness and that an impaired recurrent laryngeal nerve might be correctable.

Key Words:  cardiovocal syndrome , hoarseness , Ortner's syndrome , vocal cord paralysis

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References 

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PII: S1607-551X(09)70061-0

doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(09)70061-0

Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 25, Issue 4 , Pages 203-206, April 2009

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