Abstract:ObjectiveTo analyze the etiological characteristics of vocal cord paralysis (VCP).MethodsA retrospective analysis on 173 patients diagnosed with VCP in our department from Sept 2016 to Sept 2019 was performed. Their clinical characteristics and the causes of VCP were analyzed.ResultsOf all the 173 patients, 92 (53.2%) had leftsided VCP, 36 (20.8%) had rightsided VCP, and 45 (26.0%) had bilateral VCP. Iatrogenic injuries included traction injury, thermal burn, and amputation injury. The injury sites were in different anatomical positions on the left, right, or both sides. As for the causes, iatrogenic injuries in 105 cases (60.7%) topped the list, followed by extralaryngeal tumors and spaceoccupying lesions in 31 cases (17.9%).ConclusionsUnilateral VCP is more common than bilateral VCP, and the left VCP is more common than the right side. The VCPs of different causes have different vocal characteristics. Even the VCPs of the same cause may have great characteristic differences and low comparability due to differences in the degree, nature and anatomical location of injury. Iatrogenic injury remains the primary cause of VCP, followed by extralaryngeal tumors and spaceoccupying lesions. The conservative treatment of antiviral drugs and hormones combined with neurotrophic drugs may be the preferred treatment for VCP of viral infections or idiopathic causes, but high therapeutic effect should not be expected too much.
