title: Tapia's syndrome--a rare complication following cardiac surgery.
abstract: Tapia's syndrome is a rare complication following cardiac surgery. It includes the extracranial involvement of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the hypoglossal nerve and results in ipsilateral paralysis of the vocal cord and the tongue. It is usually a complication related to anaesthesia and positioning of the head of the patient during surgery. We describe this rare complication which occurred at our institute. A 49-year old man developed Tapia's syndrome after an uneventful coronary artery bypass surgery. He complained of dysphonia, hoarseness of voice and an inability to swallow soon after extubation. The syndrome resolved completely over the following weeks with no neurological deficit.
authors: Department of Cardiac Surgery, The City Hospital, Dubai Health Care City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. zubin.nalladaru@thecityhospital.com
authors: Zubin
authors: Z
authors: Nalladaru
authors: Andre
authors: A
authors: Wessels
authors: Leon
authors: L
authors: DuPreez
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020437:Hypoglossal Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012009:Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve; D013577:Syndrome; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*