title: An unusual cause of hoarseness and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy.
abstract: Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and thyroid disease suggest locally invasive thyroid malignancy. In contrast, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy caused by benign multinodular goiters or ectopic thyroid tissue accounts for only 1% of cases. This article describes an unusual case of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy secondary to a benign ectopic retrosternal thyroid tissue mass. Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with progressive voice weakness and hoarseness.
authors.affiliation: Phat Truong, a recent graduate of the PA program at Mercer University in Atlanta, Ga., practices orthopedic surgery in Dallas, Tex. Lisa Dickerson is an internist and a clinical assistant professor at Mercer University. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
authors.forename: Phat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Truong
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dickerson
mesh_terms: D006685:Hoarseness / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis