A Case Of Lateral Medullary Infarction Presenting as Isolated Dysphagia with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Unilateral vocal cord paralysis and dysphagia are not uncommonly seen in the ENT practice. Just less than 10% of unilateral vocal cord paralysis are caused by diseases of the central nervous system, and lateral medullary infarction (LMI) is a wellknown condition that causes dysphagia and unilateral laryngeal paralysis. However, cases of LMI with isolated dysphagia and dysphonia without other typical neurological signs have been rarely reported. We describe the case of a 67-year-old man with chronic hypertension who presented as dysphagia and unilateral vocal cord paralysis without other typical signs of LMI. He was finally diagnosed as LMI on MRI. Although cases of LMI presenting in the manner like this case are extremely rare, ENT physicians should consider LMI in differential diagnosis for this situation, especially when the patient has a previous episode or risk factors of stroke. (Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2007;50:841-3)