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A member asked:
My sister has temporary paralysis of her vocal chords following a thyroidectomy. should we be concerned the surgeon could have prevented this?
3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Common complication: The recurrent laryngeal nerve loops down into the neck and then up to the vocal cords. It is very vulnerable to the effects of surgery in the neck. The surgeon may not have even touched the nerve, but the swelling and healing process may have affected it. Recovery is usually excellent.
Answered 3/9/2013
5.7k views
No: As a surgeon, I am biased. The rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis should be 1% or lower. It will never be zero. 50% will recover and there are things that can help the voice. During surgery, everything is done to minimize risks but there are many variables that are unforeseen and can change the results of the surgery. I hope this helps and good luck with recovery.
Answered 4/24/2015
4.9k views
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