Ortner's Syndrome and Endoluminal Treatment of a Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

Abstract

Left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was first described in 1897 by Ortner in a patient with mitral valve disease. However, this paralysis has also been attributed to other cardiovascular pathologies, such as thoracic aortic aneurysms. In 1971, Parodi introduced the endoluminal technique by inserting endovascular prostheses for the treatment of vascular aneurysms. The authors present a case of acute dysphonia following left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, confirmed by laryngoscopy, in a patient who was diagnosed with a saccular thoracic aortic aneurysm and treated with endovascular prostheses. It was not necessary to perform any additional surgical procedures on the vocal folds because the patient showed sufficient improvement during speech therapy. Follow-up exams at 3 and 6 months demonstrated the lack of any swallowing or respiratory disorders.