[Vocal cord paralysis--analysis of a cohort of 400 patients]

Vocal cord paralysis has diverse etiologies. In the present study, vocal chord paralysis caused by surgery/trauma was present in more than two thirds of the cases, followed by primary malignancy-associated paralysis. Thyroidectomy was the most common cause in bilateral paresis, especially if performed in recurrent or malignant disease. Voice therapy was promising in pa-tients with unilateral paresis and hoarseness as main symptom. Persistent dysphonia due to insufficiency of the glottic closure led to an operative glottis restricting procedure in only 6% of cases. In almost half the patients with dyspnea as the main symp-tom of bilateral vocal cord paresis, temporary tracheotomy or surgical glottis widening procedures had to be performed. The group of idiopathic and traumatic paresis patients showed the best spontaneous recovery within the first 12 months in comparison to primary malignancy-associated paralysis, which showed no recovery of the recurrens nerve.