Korean J Endocr Surg.  2016 Sep;16(3):85-88. 10.16956/kaes.2016.16.3.85.

Bilateral Vocal Cord Palsy after Thyroidectomy Detected by McGrath Videolaryngoscope

• Shin K
• Lee GY
• Baik HJ
• Kim CH

• KMID: 2357841
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.16956/kaes.2016.16.3.85

Abstract

Bilateral vocal cord palsy (BVCP) is a rare complication of thyroid surgery, and it is confusing and frustrating for both patients and medical staff. We found postoperative vocal cord dysfunction using a McGrath videolaryngoscope from a patient with stridor and dyspnea after thyroidectomy performed with intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring. Soon after, the patient was diagnosed with BVCP by an ENT otolaryngologist using a laryngeal fiberscope. The patient underwent exploration and received a permanent tracheostoma. The possibility of false negative findings from intraoperative nerve monitoring should considered if there is suspicion of BVCP in a high risk patient after thyroidectomy. The McGrath video-laryngoscope can be useful for early discovery of postoperative vocal cord dysfunction.

Keyword

Bilateral vocal cord palsy; Intraoperative nerve monitoring; Thyroidectomy; Videolaryngoscope

MeSH Terms

Dyspnea
Humans
Medical Staff
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve
Respiratory Sounds
Thyroid Gland
Thyroidectomy*
Vocal Cord Dysfunction
Vocal Cord Paralysis*
Vocal Cords*

Reference

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