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Benign disease of the thyroid gland and vocal fold paralysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Bassam Abboud*
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery, Hôtel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon.
Bassam Tabchy
Affiliation:
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Hôtel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon.
Sélim Jambart
Affiliation:
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hôtel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon.
Walid Abou Hamad
Affiliation:
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Hôtel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon.
Pierre Farah
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery, Hôtel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon.
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Bassam Abboud, Department of General Surgery, Hötel Dieu de France, Beirut, Lebanon Fax: +961 1 615295

Abstract

Development of vocal fold paralysis in the presence of thyroid disease is strongly indicative of thyroid cancer, and requires surgical exploration. At the same time, vocal fold paralysis does not relieve the surgeon of his obligation to identify and preserve the recurrent laryngeal nerves, since the cause of the paralysis may be a benign disease, with a fair chance of functional recovery after surgery. We hereby report a case of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy secondary to a multinodular goitre.

Type
Clinical Records
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1999

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References

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