title: Is dysphonia permanent or temporary after anterior cervical approach?
abstract: The rate, causes and prognosis of dysphonia after anterior cervical approach (ACA) were investigated in our clinical series. During a 10-year interval, 235 consecutive patients with cervical disc disease underwent surgical treatment using anterior approach. Retrospective chart reviews showed recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury in 3 (1.27%) patients. All three patients were men and only one patient had multilevel surgery. These patients had RLN injury after virgin surgery. Laryngoscopic examination demonstrated unilateral vocal cord paralysis in all patients who had postoperative dysphonia. No permanent dysphonia was observed in our series and patients recovered after a mean of 2 months (range 1-3 months) duration. Dysphonia after ACA was a rare complication in our clinical series. Pressure on RLN or retraction may result in temporary dysphonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, 06018, Ankara, Turkey. serkah@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kahraman
authors.forename: Sait
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sirin
authors.forename: Ersin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atabey
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daneyemez
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012009:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D061226:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013995:Time; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology