1990 Volume 1990 Issue Supplement37 Pages 305-309
A 38-year-old male with occult thyroid cancer is reported. The patient visited our hospital complaining of hoarseness for about one month. A direct laryngoscopy showed right recurrent palsy. In further examination, no thyroid tumor, hypopharyngeal tumor or other lymph node swelling were detected. Seven months later, right neck lymph node swelling improved. By neck dissection, metastasis of thyroid papillary adenocarcinoma was detected. Right hemithyroidectomy was then performed. A tiny lesion of the thyroid gland was detected, and it also became clear that the patient's recurrent palsy was due to metastasis to the paratracheal lymph node.
The importance of precise follow-up in cases of ill-defined recurrent palsy is stressed.
