[Paralysis of the superior laryngeal nerve after whiplash trauma].

BACKGROUND

The current literature rejects the possibility of strain of the superior laryngeal nerves by whiplash injury. However, due to the anatomic situation and the mechanism of the whiplash injury this damage does not seem unlikely.

PATIENT

A 58-year-old male patient, who was a trained singer, complained of a loss of his head voice following a major whiplash injury. Indirect laryngoscopy revealed no unusual findings. The phoniatric examination showed a loss of the head voice in the vocal field indicating paresis of the superior laryngeal nerves. Three and one-half months after the whiplash injury, the paresis had completely receded and the patient had a voice well above average with an excellent frequency range.

CONCLUSIONS

In the case presented the paresis of the superior laryngeal nerves could have been caused by a strain of the nerves during whiplash injury. A complete and exact phoniatric diagnosis can be recommended for elderly patients complaining of an altered voice following whiplash injury.