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Vocal cord paralysis and recovery with thyroid lymphoma
Author(s) -
Sobol Steven M.,
Jiu John B.,
Grozea Petre N.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198501000-00013
Subject(s) - medicine , paralysis , thyroid lymphoma , cord , vocal cord paralysis , recurrent laryngeal nerve , radiation therapy , thyroid , thyroid neoplasm , lymphoma , surgery , thyroid cancer , thyroiditis
Vocal cord paralysis has been reported in 33 patients with thyroid lymphoma for an estimated overall incidence of 17%. There is little expectation of vocal cord function recovery, both because neoplastic invasion is believed irreversible and since surgery often necessitates sacrifice of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Unlike in most well differentiated thyroid malignancies, external radiation therapy plays a vital role in the treatment of thyroid lymphoma. The patient presented here had complete recovery of vocal cord function following radiation therapy for a large thyroid lymphoma associated with vocal cord paralysis. This is the first reported case of such recovery following treatment for a thyroid neoplasm. The rather rapid and complete recovery of neural function suggests that, at least in some, paralysis is caused by reversible compression rather than by neural invasion or tumor‐induced neurolysis.