Diagnostic value of tomography in unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Tomographic studies were made on 56 patients with unilateral paralysis of the vocal cord. The findings were examined in relation to etiology, course, and laryngoscopic findings. In 74.1 percent of the cases, marked enlargement of the ventricle was noticed on the side of the paralysis, especially during inhalation. The paralyzed vocal cord was higher than the intact cord during phonation in 46.4 percent of the cases. The rest of the cases (53.6 percent) demonstrated no level difference between the vocal cords. The position of the paralyzed vocal cord, unilateral involvement of the cricothyroid muscle and other neck muscles were suggested as possible contributors to the findings.