Vincristine-induced recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis in children.
Stridor developed in 2 children during vincristine therapy for malignancies. Indirect laryngoscopy revealed left vocal cord paralyses in both patients. One child had generalized neurotoxicity from vincristine including hypotonia, decreased gastrointestinal motility, and painful paresthesias while laryngeal nerve paralysis was the only neurotoxic manifestation in the other patient. Stridor resolved in both patients after discontinuing or decreasing the dose of vincristine. Visualization of the airway not only confirms the diagnosis, but also rules out treatable causes of stridor in the febrile, immunocompromised patient.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Department of Anesthesia, Memphis, Tennessee.
J D
JD
Tobias
P M
PM
Bozeman
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000139:chemically induced*
D014750:Vincristine