aetiology
Last reviewed 01/2018
To begin with higher lesions, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy may be caused by:
- bulbar palsy
- pseudobulbar palsy
- jugular foramen syndrome
- deep lobe parotid tumours
- vagal neurolemmoma
The causes of left recurrent nerve palsy in the chest include:
- bronchial carcinoma
- oesophageal carcinoma
- malignancy of the mediastinal lymph nodes
- aortic aneurysm
- cardiac and oesophageal surgery
Recurrent laryngeal palsy of the left or the right nerve may occur in the neck because of:
- thyroid surgery
- thyroid carcinoma
- oesophageal carcinoma
- penetrating wounds
- surgery on the cervical spine - Cloward's operation
Recurrent laryngeal palsy may also be idiopathic or may follow infection for example influenza.