HOARSENESS IN HEART DISEAS

Abstract
Two cases are reported of rheumatic heart disease associated with paralysis of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. Angiocardiographic studies were carried out in one case and postmortem studies in the other. The literature is reviewed, and the cause of the paralysis is discussed. The primary factor is compression of the nerve by dilatation of the left pulmonary artery. In view of the relative frequency of pulmonary artery dilatation, however, the rarity of left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis remains unexplained.