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

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Abstract
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.

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