Treatment Of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Damage During Thyroid Surgery

Dear Ask The Doctor: Can anything be done to correct nerve damage from thyroid surgery. There is continues pain and it'as impossible to eat many foods?

Dear Michael: Thyroid surgery may injure the recurrent laryngeal nerve and or superior laryngeal nerve. Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve causes vocal cord paralysis and will present as vocal changes, dysphagia and aspiration. There are two surgical treatment options available for patients with unilateral vocal-fold paralysis: medialization and reinnervation. Medialization is most commonly performed. I would suggest that you consult a surgeon who specializes in reconstructive surgeries of the thyroid.