Vocal fold paresis as a surgical complication: our 10-year experience with 162 incidents.

Between January 2006 and December 2015, 320 patients with vocal fold paralysis (VFP) were identified in Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. The overall annual incidence rate of VFP was 11.4 per 100 000 inhabitants (95% confidence interval 10.1-12.8). The most common etiologies of VFP were iatrogenic (50.6%), idiopathic (21.6%), and neoplasm (14.7%). The incidence of VFP during surgical procedures was 5.2% in thyroid surgery, 4.3% in parathyroid surgery, 16.6% in esophageal surgery, 5.6% in mediastinoscopy, 4% in non-cardiac surgery through sternotomy, 3.2% in surgery of the aortic arch, 1.4% in carotid endarterectomy, and 0.9% in anterior cervical spine procedures. In addition to patients undergoing surgery of thyroid and parathyroid gland, patients undergoing surgery of the esophagus or mediastinoscopy may also benefit from systematic screening for VFP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.