A fatal case of Ortner’s syndrome and dysphagia aortica secondary to rapidly expanding mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysm in a chronic kidney disease patient

Abstract

Ortner’s syndrome or cardiovocal syndrome is a rare condition and refers to the association between cardiovascular conditions, usually cardiac enlargement from mitral stenosis, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. We reported an interesting case of a patient with end-stage renal disease on regular dialysis who developed both Ortner’s syndrome and dysphagia aortica as a result of an aortic arch aneurysm. The aneurysm underwent a rapid increase in size, likely as a result of Staphylococcus aureus infection (mycotic aneurysm) from an internal jugular dialysis catheter. This case highlighted the importance of cardiovascular conditions as rarer causes of dysphonia and dysphagia, particularly with the existence of an extrinsic infective source.