Hoarseness secondary to left atrial myxoma

A 62-year-old woman presented with a history of hoarseness. Although stable for ten years, she recently showed signs of deterioration. Investigations revealed left vocal cord paralysis and a large left atrial tumor displacing the left pulmonary artery under the arch of the aorta. The lesion was removed and the normal aortopulmonary window on computed tomography (CT) scan was restored. On review of the literature, this case appears to be the first to suggest that myxomas cause recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy through direct effects.