Gerhardt Syndrome after Reoperation for a Recurrent Plunging Goiter - A Case Report

Gaudêncio FC, Hasenauer A, Perentes J Y, Bouayed S and Christodoulou M*

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sion Hospital, Switzerland

^*Correspondance to: Michel Christodoulou 

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Abstract:

Thyroid surgery comes with several risks for complications. One of them being a vocal cord paralysis which may be uni- or bilateral. Most frequently this paralysis is due to an iatrogenic injury of the laryngeal recurrent nerve. Less frequently other etiologies are possible such as traumatic injury, malignancy, or neurologic degenerative diseases. In more than 1 case out of 5 the etiology remains unknown. We report a case of bilateral vocal cord paralysis in an immediate postoperative context for a recurrent thyroid goiter requiring invasive therapies to secure airways. An iatrogenic lesion of recurrent laryngeal nerve was excluded, and evolution shows a persistent paralysis. We conclude to the diagnosis of Gerhardt Syndrome.

Keywords:

Gerhardt Syndrome; Laryngeal recurrent nerve; Recurrent goiter; Thyroidectomy; Vocal cord paralysis

Cite the Article:

Gaudêncio FC, Hasenauer A, Perentes J Y, Bouayed S, Christodoulou M. Gerhardt Syndrome after Reoperation for a Recurrent Plunging Goiter - A Case Report. Ann Clin Case Rep. 2024; 9: 2684..