Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Woo, Seung Hoon

doi:2022.2.1.53

J Neuromonit Neurophysiol > Volume 2(1); 2022 > Article

Case report

Journal of Neuromonitoring & Neurophysiology 2022;2(1):53-57.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54441/jnn.2022.2.1.53 Published online May 30, 2022.

Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Seung Hoon Woo

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the synovial membrane, causing joint damage and bone destruction. Symptoms of cricoid arytenoid joint (CJ) arthritis often include a voice change and a feeling of fullness in the throat and pharynx. In some cases, bilateral CJ invasion may require an emergency tracheostomy due to acute airway closure. This report describes a 45-year-old man who suffers from voice changes and aspiration due to a vocal cord palsy caused by RA, along with bilateral CJ invasion. One month after receiving drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, the patient regained normal voice.

Key Words: Vocal cord paralysis, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Tracheostomy