title: Clinically silent subdural hemorrhage causes bilateral vocal fold paralysis in newborn infant.
abstract: Bilateral congenital vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) may result from multiple etiologies or remain idiopathic when no real cause can be identified. If obstructive dyspnea is significant and requires urgent stabilization of the airway, then intubation is performed first and an MRI of the brain is conducted to rule out an Arnold-Chiari malformation that can benefit from a shunt procedure and thus alleviate the need for a tracheostomy. Clinically silent subdural hemorrhage without any birth trauma represents another cause of neonatal BVFP that resolves spontaneously within a month. It is of clinical relevance to recognize this potential cause of BVFP as its short duration may alleviate the need for a tracheostomy. In this article, we present such a case and review the literature to draw the otolaryngologist's attention to this possible etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery - Otorhinolaryngology - Pediatric, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard - Riyadh, P.O. Box 22490, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia. dr.jaber@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jaber
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alshammari
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monnier
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006408:Hematoma, Subdural / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*