Unilateral vocal cord paralysis following endotracheal intubation

Abstract

A case of left vocal cord palsy in a patient undergoing a hysterectomy has been presented. A cuffed endotracheal tube was used for maintenance of anesthesia. No local lesion was seen by the consultant laryngologist, and it took almost a year before resolution was complete. The course and ultimate outcome of the complication fit in with the postulated theory that a branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerve within the larynx may have been damaged by the inflated cuff.