What is pointed out in a recent publication in the scientific journal “Ear, Nose, Throat Journal.”
A rare case of paralysis of the vocal cords in a patient with CoViD recently announced scientists from the hospitals “Papanikolaou,” “Papageorgiou,” and AHEPA Thessaloniki.
Doctors Al. Putoglidis, N. Tsetsos, P. Karamitsou, Evr. Forozidou, K. Gaferis, S. Keramani, and K. Vlahtsis recently made a relevant publication in the scientific magazine “Ear, Nose, Throat Journal. ”
According to the editorial team, CoViD causes a wide variety of complications. Although neurological impairment is very common in cases of hyposmia or anemia, other motor and sensory impairments have been reported rarely.
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This patient had bilateral paralysis of the vocal cords after treatment with CoViD. Clinicians need to be careful when caring for patients with shortness of breath or hoarseness to rule out this rare but debilitating entity.
According to experts, this is a 63-year-old man referred to the ENT Emergency Department, with a history of mild dyspnea accompanied by hoarseness for two days.
The patient had been hospitalized for quite some time due to complications of coronavirus infection. He had acute respiratory syndrome and needed to be treated for pneumonia and low oxygen. After 20 days of hospitalization, his condition worsened, and he needed intubation.
Twelve days after intubation, pneumonia subsided, and intubation was successful. He remained in the hospital for another 15 days and was eventually discharged without symptoms. At discharge, he had a normal voice without shortness of breath.
However, 15 days later, he reappeared with acute symptoms and persistent anemia in the hospital. The patient had no other illnesses and had never had surgery or radiation therapy. He was, however, unvaccinated for CoViD, as vaccines were not available when he became ill.
Examination
The endoscopy he underwent revealed bilateral paralytic vocal aspects (image). The vocal folds were immobile, and no other pathology was observed in the larynx or hypopharynx.
Throat examination and laboratory and immunological blood tests were also normal, with no inflammation or autoimmune disease evidence.
Brain magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the neck and chest did not reveal pathology or tumor of the central nervous system that could affect the integrity of the laryngeal nerve. The olfactory evaluation with the Sniffing Sticks test confirmed the immunity.
Intravenous corticosteroids did not improve the mobility of the vocal cords three days after this hospitalization. He underwent a tracheotomy to secure an airway in the hope of recovery. The outcome was positive, and the patient was discharged with the recommendation of monthly follow-up.
According to the study’s authors, bilateral paralysis of the vocal cords due to viral infections is well documented. This is not a purely neurological phenomenon.
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