Bilateral vocal cord paralysis following endotracheal intubation

Bilateral vocal cord paralysis following endotracheal intubation is an uncommon cause of respiratory obstruction. We report one case, adding to ten previously identified. We dissected eight human cadaver larynges and noted the path of the anterior ramus of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. It appeared to be particularly vulnerable to compression injury as it passed between the arytenoid cartilage and the thyroid lamina. This point was confirmed by histologic sections of intubated larynges.