Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT) may masquerade for months as idiopathic vocal cord paralysis, especially in patients whose thyroid is difficult to accurately and completely palpate. A case of vocal cord paralysis secondary to invasion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve by nonfamilial MCT in a nonpalpable portion of the tracheoesophageal groove is presented. Serum calcitonin by radioimmunoassay proved to be the only definitive preoperative diagnostic test. This assay is also an effective marker to establish evidence of residual or recurrent disease.
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