Obstructive sleep apnea caused by bilateral vocal fold paralysis.

We describe the case of a woman who had been referred to us with a history of breathing difficulties and snoring and a suspicion of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our investigation revealed that she did indeed have severe OSA in addition to undiagnosed bilateral vocal fold paralysis of unknown origin. Nocturnal polysomnography found that her apnea/hypopnea index was 120 and her minimum arterial oxygen saturation level was 63%. She was treated with laterofixation of the right vocal fold, and her OSA resolved immediately. During 10 years of follow-up with nocturnal polysomnogrpahy, no recurrence of apnea or low oxygen saturation levels was noted. However, she did experience a recurrence of her snoring 4 years postoperatively, along with the onset of progressively worsening daytime fatigue. When these conditions persisted, we performed a repeat laterofixation of the same vocal fold. Following the repeat surgery, subjectively and objectively assessed results were good.