Abstract
Objectives
1) Understand the changing etiologies of unilateral vocal cord paralysis. 2) Learn the frequency of return of vocal cord function after paralysis.
Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis of 280 patients treated in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami for the diagnosis of unilateral vocal cord paralysis from 1999 to 2007. Medical records were reviewed in order to ascertain the etiology of the paralysis and determine on follow-up if there was recovery of function.
Results
The majority of cases (46%) were of surgical origin, with the leading surgical injury being thyroid surgery. Despite a thorough workup, 28% of cases remained idiopathic in origin. 21 patients (7%) had recovery of vocal fold function, the majority of which had a surgical etiology.
Conclusions
The most common cause of unilateral vocal cord paralysis, in our experience, is surgery, with thyroid surgery being the leading cause. A large majority of these cases remain idiopathic in nature. A small subset of patients regain function of the paralyzed vocal cord.
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