ABSTRACT
Vocal cord paralysis is commonly encountered in otolaryngology practice and is often a manifestation of disease and not a diagnosis in and of itself. True vocal cord paralysis refers to immobility of the ‘true’ vocal cord resulting from disruption of motor innervations to the laryngeal musculature.1 This may be secondary to injury to either the vagus or the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). As a broad entity, vocal cord paralysis has dissonant etiologies, including neurological, iatrogenic and neoplastic pathologies. A thorough knowledge of the vagus nerve, laryngeal musculature and framework is therefore vital to understanding vocal cord palsies and their clinical significance.
