Case study: Lateral cricoarytenoid paresis - an example of a hidden vocal cord paralysis
Channel: VOXDOC - the voicedoctor
Date: 2022-11-17

A common cause of hoarseness is a neurologic injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. I review a case where someone was wondering why the voice was poor, but they could not see a cause. This particular partial injury easily remains hidden despite the patient's weak, soft quality to the voice, the roughness in their low pitch range and the inability to get loud easily. 

In neurolaryngology, slowing endoscopic and stroboscopic video recordings down and focusing on the vocal processes' movement and positions can reveal the impairment.