Abstract
Clinical investigation was conducted on 204 cases of unilateral vocal fold paralysis who had been referred to our clinic during the past 8 years (1993-2000).
Among these patients, 147 were males and 57 were females. The most frequent cause of their paralysis was an inavoidable side effect of their surgery, and their most common complaint was hoarseness. The left vocal fold was affected in 147 cases (72.1%), and the right in 57 cases (27.9%). In the patients that eventually recovered vocal fold movement, the mobility of the vocal fold was restored within 6 months. In most of the cases that lost complaint without the recovery of vocal fold movenent, decrudescence was achieved within 7 months. Therefore, phonosurgery should be taken into consideration for cases of unilateral vocal fold paralysis that still suffer from symptoms of vocal fold paralysis around 6 months after the onset of vocal fold paralysis.
