Arytenoid cartilage dislocation caused by a double-lumen endobronchial tube

Abstract

Following surgery requiring the use of a double-lumen endobronchial tube, a patient immediately complained of persistent severe hoarseness. On the third day after the operation, fibreoptic laryngoscopy revealed posterolateral dislocation of the left arytenoid cartilage. By the sixth day of the operation, a slight improvement was observed in the hoarseness without treatment and a spontaneous recovery of arytenoid cartilage dislocation was expected. The patient did not consent to surgical treatment, and therefore a conservative therapy was selected. Ten weeks after the operation, it was found that the dislocated left arytenoid cartilage had spontaneously repositioned and the patient regained his normal voice. The causes and treatment options are discussed. © The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2005. All rights reserved.