title: Neck ultrasonography for the evaluation of the etiology of adult unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An extralaryngeal neoplasm involving the vagus nerve and recurrent laryngeal nerve must be excluded when adult unilateral vocal fold paralysis is diagnosed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2004 and 2009, 53 adult patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis received neck ultrasonography. Patients with laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer or with previously known cancers of the head and neck, thyroid, esophagus or lung, or with known etiology or trauma were excluded from this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 26 men and 27 women. Ultrasonography revealed 16 patients (30%) having subclinical tumors, including thyroid papillary carcinoma in 7 patients, vagus nerve schwannoma in 2 patients, nodular goiter in 2 patients, malignant nodes in the lower neck in 4 patients, which were metastasized from lung cancer in 3 patients, esophageal cancer in 1 patient, and cervical esophageal cancer in 1 patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neck ultrasonography is useful to detect subclinical neoplasia, causing unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Thyroid cancer is the most common neoplastic etiology of adult unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tseng-Cheng
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Pei-Jen
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Tsung-Lin
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ya-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ming-Jium
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shieh
authors.forename: Jenq-Yuh
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Tzu-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Hsiao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000175:diagnosis; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult