Trauma‐induced schwannoma of the recurrent laryngeal nerve after thyroidectomy

Laryngeal schwannomas are rare, benign tumors, most often arising from the superior laryngeal nerve. We describe a case of a 68‐year‐old female with a laryngeal schwannoma of the recurrent laryngeal nerve after traumatic injury. We postulate that trauma to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy or thyroplasty incited growth of a nerve sheath tumor. This is the first reported case of a trauma‐induced schwannoma of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and second case of a recurrent laryngeal nerve schwannoma. Although rare, this case demonstrates that these tumors should be considered during workup of vocal cord paresis after surgery or failed thyroplasty. Laryngoscope , 126:1408–1410, 2016