Ultrasound diagnosis of a case of transient bilateral vocal cord paralysis secondary to local anesthetic infiltration.

Abstract

One of the most important complications associated with thyroid and parathyroid surgery is vocal cord paralysis due to a recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury paralysis induced by local anesthetics is a rare complication with very few published cases Various techniques are available for diagnosing vocal cord paralysis, including, flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy, videostrobolaryngoscopy and indirect laryngoscopy. However, these techniques are expensive and are often associated with pain and discomfort among patients. Considering these disadvantages, transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound is an alternative imaging tool for vocal cord examination in patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery. We describe a case which was sonographically diagnosed a transient bilateral vocal cord paralysis after the local infiltration of 10mL of 2% mepivacaine administered for the revision of the surgical wound due to a subcutaneous hematoma that occurred after a subtotal parathyroidectomy.

• Authors: C Muñoz, M de Miguel, M I Rochera, M D Dorda, E Caubet, O González
• Journal: Revista espanola de anestesiologia y reanimacion (Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim (Engl Ed)) Vol. 68 Issue 4 Pg. 235-238 (Apr 2021) ISSN: 2341-1929 [Electronic] Spain
• Vernacular Title: Diagnóstico ecográfico de un caso de parálisis bilateral transitoria de las cuerdas vocales secundario a infiltración de anestésico local.
• PMID: 32919792 (Publication Type: Case Reports)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anesthetics, Local

Topics

• Anesthetics, Local (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries
• Ultrasonography
• Vocal Cord Paralysis (chemically induced)
• Vocal Cords (diagnostic imaging)