Long-term morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery for unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Fifty-six patients who had undergone surgery for unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP) were reviewed retrospectively. The etiologies; indications for surgery; timing of onset, diagnosis and surgery; complications; and survival rates are presented. Forty patients had neoplasms of which 32 were malignant and 8 were benign. UVCP was due to direct tumor involvement in 16 cases and surgical trauma in 21 cases. Mean survival for patients who presented with UVCP which was due directly to a malignancy was 5 months versus 22 months for those patients with UVCP due to surgical trauma during resection of malignancies. Mean survival for lung cancer patients was 5 months versus 24 months for patients with other malignancies. The etiology and manner of presentation of UVCP are important prognostic indicators which should be considered when planning surgical intervention for UVCP.