Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis: Comparison Of Etiologic Factors With Demographic Findings

Unilateral Vokal Kord Paralizisi: Etiyolojik Faktörlerin Demogra- fik Verilerle KarL laLt r lmas

Abstract

Objective: Unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP) is characterized with fixation of vocal cords at different positions depending on the level where the nerves is affected. Along the long course of recurrent laryngeal and vagal nerve any lesion may lead to vocal cord paralysis. The aim of this study is to analyse causes of UVCP and demographic findings of the patents. Methods: We reviewed 47 patients with UVCP who applied to our clinic between 2013-2015 etiologically and analysed them according to age, gender and side of the lesion. We compare patients in two groups, under 40 years old (15 patients) and over 40 years old (32 patients) according to their ethiology. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the numbers of male and female patients (p=0,307). There was no statistically significant difference between right and left sided lesions (p=0,884). Thyroidectomy was the most frequent cause of UVCP (55,3%). While thyroidectomy was the most common cause over the age of 40 (68,7% p=0,017), this was followed by malignancies. We found nonsurgical causes as the most common cause under the age of 40 (66,7% p=0,028). Among them idiopathic UVCP was at the top of the nonsurgical causes. Thyroidectomy was the second common cause under the age of 40. There was no difference between two genders according to etiology. Side dominance was observed only at patients with idiopathic UVCP and it was to the left side at this group. Conclusion: UVCP is one of the most common cause of glottic gap and identifying the etiology is crucial to determine the prognosis and additional diseases. Especially, malignancy is one of the most common cause of UVCP over the age of 40, and detailed physical examination and imaging techniques should be performed.

Özet

Amaç:Unilateral vokal kord paraizileri (UVKP) vokal kordlar n sinirin etkilenme düzeyine ba?l olarak farkl pozisyonlarda fikse olmas yla karakterizedir. Rekürren laringeal sinir ve vagal sinirin uzun seyri boyunca karL laLt ? herhangi bir lezyon vokal kord paralizisine neden olabilir.Bu çal Lman n amac UVKPnin nedenlerini ve hastalar n demografik verilerini incelemektir