Etiology and Presentation Time of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Objectives:1) Determine the etiology of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) at a tertiary care institution over 10 years. 2) Determine the length of time between onset of symptoms and presentation/diagnosis of UVFP by an otolaryngologist at a tertiary medical center.Methods:Retrospective review of medical records of patients with UVFP between 2002 and 2012 in a tertiary care institution. Patients were seen and evaluated over 10 years by the Department of Otolaryngology at the Washington University School of Medicine. Medical records were reviewed for information relating to diagnosis, initial presentation date, date of onset of symptoms, and etiology of UVFP.Results:938 patients were included in the study. 621 (66.2%) patients had left sided UVFP. 581 (61.9%) patients had UVFP due to iatrogenic effects related to surgery. 158 (27.2%) of these were related to thyroid/parathyroid surgery. 357 patients had UVFP due to reasons not related to surgery. 124 (34.7%) patients had idiopathic UVFP. The median tim...