Auricular and laryngeal chondritis in nursery and finishing pigs.

This work aimed to characterize the clinic-pathological presentation of an outbreak of auricular and laryngeal chondritis in pigs. Visits were made to pig farms, where the clinical history was obtained, and clinical and postmortem examinations were performed. In those farms, 3% to 4% of pigs presented otohematomas, which started in the nursery and extended to the finishing phase. Moreover, some finishing pigs presented with respiratory distress, initially characterized as inspiratory dyspnea, associated by an uncommon respiratory stridor and culminating in death. Grossly, nursery piglets had enlarged ears, and on the cut surface, the cartilage was fragmented and associated with blood clots. In the finishing phase, in addition to auricular lesions, the epiglottis and arytenoid cartilages were thickened and distorted, which partially occluded the lumen. Microscopically, the laryngeal and auricular cartilages were fragmented, displayed a loss of matrix basophilia, and were surrounded by lymphohistiocytic inflammatory infiltrate, with occasional multinucleated giant cells and fibrosis. The lesions exclusively affected elastic cartilages. The disease in finishing pigs led to increased mortality and was a differential diagnosis to respiratory challenges. It was not possible to determine the factor that triggered this condition; however, a nutritional association is suspected. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of primary auricular and laryngeal chondritis in pigs.

Tuberculosis laríngea secundaria a foco pulmonar primario inadvertido: caso clínico / Laryngeal tuberculosis secondary to an inadvertent primary pulmonary focus: clinical case

Introducción: La tuberculosis laríngea es una entidad sumamente rara en países del primer mundo, sin embargo, en nuestro medio no es extraño, como país latinoamericano, sospechar esta patología como una de las causas de disfonía y lesiones granulomatosas en la actualidad. La tuberculosis laríngea debe considerarse dentro de las patologías en pacientes con disfonía de larga evolución que no responden al tratamiento común, esta entidad puede ser confundida con neoplasias. Reporte de caso: Se presenta el caso de una mujer en la cuarta década de la vida con disfonía crónica de 6 meses de evolución, que fue remitida para laringoscopia. Se localizaron neoformaciones granulomatosas acompañadas de edema en ambas cuerdas vocales, sometidas a biopsia, con resultados con la tinción de hematoxilina-eosina de células gigantes multinucleadas de Langhans y la tinción Zielh-Nielsen fue positiva para bacilo alcohol ácido resistente. La radiografía de tórax mostró lesiones reticulonodulares sugestivas de tuberculosis pulmonar. Conclusión: Un alto nivel de sospecha y un diagnóstico temprano pueden limitar las complicaciones y facilitar un manejo oportuno de estos casos. Es necesario sospechar de tuberculosis laríngea en pacientes que presentan disfonía crónica, especialmente cuando se asocia con síntomas constitucionales, aunque no siempre los presentan, por otro lado, en algunos casos, no existe asociación con inmunodeficiencia.

Introduction: Laryngeal tuberculosis is an extremely rare entity in first world countries, however, it is not strange in our environment as a Latin American country to suspect this pathology as one of the causes of dysphonia and granulomatous lesions today. Laryngeal tuberculosis should be considered within the pathologies in patients with long-standing dysphonia that do not respond to common treatment, this entity can be confused with neoplasms. Case report: We present the case of a female in the fourth decade of life with chronic dysphonia of six months of evolution, who was referred for laryngoscopy, granulomatous neoformations accompanied by edema in both vocal cords were located, subjected to biopsy with results with hematoxylin staining. Langhans multinucleated giant cell eosin and Zielh-Nielsen staining were positive for acid-fast bacillus. Chest X-ray showed reticule-nodular lesions suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis. Conclusion: A high level of suspicion and an early diagnosis can limit complications and facilitate timely management of these cases. It is necessary to suspect laryngeal tuberculosis in patients with chronic dysphonia, especially when associated with constitutional symptoms, although they do not always present them; on the other hand, in some cases, there is no association with immunodeficiency

Radiological correlates of vocal fold bowing as markers of Parkinson's disease progression: A cross-sectional study utilizing dynamic laryngeal CT.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether arytenoid cartilage position and dynamics change with advancing duration and severity (as graded by MDS-UPDRS part III scores) in Parkinson's disease, in a cross-sectional study design, we performed laryngeal four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) in people with Parkinson's disease and controls. METHODS: 31 people with Parkinson's disease covering a range of disease duration and severity and 19 controls underwent laryngeal 4D-CT whilst repeatedly vocalizing. We measured on each CT volume the glottic area (GA), inter-arytenoid distance (IAD), IAD-Area index (IAI) and arytenoid cartilage velocity ([Formula: see text]). RESULTS: People with Parkinson's disease had reductions in the mean/effective minimum IAD when compared to controls, while mean/effective minimum GA and mean/effective maximum IAI were increased. Arytenoid cartilage velocities showed no difference. On Spearman correlation analyses, advancing disease duration and severity of PD showed moderately strong and significant correlations with increasing mean/effective minimum GA, increasing mean/effective maximum IAI and decreasing effective minimum IAD. Linear mixed models which considered the effects of intra and inter-individual variation showed that both disease duration (b = -0.011, SEb = 0.053, 95% CI [-0.022, 0], t(27) = -2.10, p = 0.045) and severity (b = -0.069, SEb = 0.032, 95% CI [-0.14,-0.0039], t(27) = -2.17, p = 0.039) were significant predictors for IAD, and also for transformed values of the GA and IAI. CONCLUSIONS: There are progressive alterations in phonatory posturing as Parkinson's disease advances. The increases in GA despite reductions in IAD are concordant with prior observations of vocal fold bowing. Our study provides a basis for using laryngeal 4D-CT to assess disease progression in Parkinson's disease.

Use of Indirect Laryngeal Biopsy Forceps to Treat Epiglottic Abscess.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps in the treatment of epiglottic abscess (EA). METHODS: Twenty patients were diagnosed with EA in our department and were randomly divided into group A (indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps combined antibiotics) and group B (antibiotics only). Demographics, the degree of epiglottic and arytenoid swelling, and inflammatory cells were collected for analysis. The drainage of EA was performed under local anesthesia in conscious patients with indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps and 70° direct laryngoscopes. The length of symptomatic relief and length of hospitalization were assessed. RESULTS: Ten patients were treated with indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps under the view of the 70° direct laryngoscopes combined with intravenous antibiotics, whereas the other 10 patients were treated with antibiotics only. The differences between the 2 groups had no statistical significance in age, gender, white blood cell count, neutrophils count, and the percent of neutrophils, abscess size, and scope classification at the time of diagnosis. The length of hospitalization and length of symptomatic relief was significantly lower in patients treated with indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps combined antibiotics than those treated with antibiotics only. CONCLUSIONS: Indirect laryngeal biopsy forceps are safe and effective method to treat EA, which shorten the hospitalization and has the advantages of cost savings and convenience.

Histological and mechanical comparisons of arytenoid cartilage between 4 brachycephalic and 8 non-brachycephalic dogs: A pilot study.

Brachycephalic airway syndrome (BAS) is a well-established cause of respiratory distress in dogs. BAS without surgical correction results in eventual laryngeal collapse. Arytenoid lateralization has been used to treat severe laryngeal collapse with some highly variable results. Chondromalacia and decreased stiffness of the arytenoid cartilage has been postulated a source of failure after arytenoid lateralization but no report of the histological characteristics and mechanical strength of arytenoid cartilage in brachycephalic dogs has been reported. Here we report histological and mechanical features in arytenoid cartilage of brachycephalic dogs. We identified the arytenoid cartilage in brachycephalic dogs presented degenerative histological characteristics and decreased load to failure and stiffness compared to that in non-brachycephalic dogs. Together, these observations suggest that degenerative condition of arytenoid cartilage in brachycephalic dogs could contribute to chondromalacia and mechanical weakness of arytenoid cartilage and result in cause of failure after arytenoid lateralization.

Cricoarytenoid joint arthritis: a possible complication of dermatomyositis.

Cricoarytenoid joint arthritis is most frequently reported in Rheumatoid Arthritis and in other systemic diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Ankylosing Arthritis, Juvenile Chronic Arthritis, and autoimmune hepatitis but it has not been reported in dermatomyositis. In this paper, we report the case of a 43 years-old woman treated for dermatomyositis who presented with hoarseness and severe odynophagia. The laryngoscopy revealed the presence of an extensive white swelling of the left cricoarytenoid joint with reduced mobility of the left vocal cord, consistent with left cricoarytenoid joint arthritis, which has not previously been described in dermatomyositis to our knowledge. Treatment with high doses of prednisone produced a complete resolution of the laryngeal symptoms.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates from 33 thoroughbred horses with arytenoid chondropathy (2005-2019).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates cultured from surgical specimens of infected arytenoid cartilage and granulomas. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS: Thirty-three thoroughbred horses. METHODS: Hospital records were retrieved for all horses admitted to a referral hospital for arytenoid chondropathy surgery that had samples submitted for culture and sensitivity between 2005 and 2019. Descriptive analyses were performed. RESULTS: In total, 56 bacterial isolates were obtained. Gram-positive bacteria (58%), Gram-negative bacteria (54%), and anaerobes (33%) were cultured from samples. Fifty-eight percent of horses had multiple bacteria isolated. Streptococcus spp were the most common (32%), followed by Enterobacteriaceae (13%). Bacterial isolates were sensitive to ceftiofur (83%), followed by ampicillin (64%), tetracycline (48%), enrofloxacin (45%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (41%), and gentamicin (18%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was present in 44% of bacterial isolates. CONCLUSION: A wide variety of bacteria was cultured, providing evidence that secondary opportunistic infection by common respiratory bacteria is likely a factor in arytenoid chondropathy. Multidrug resistance was higher than what has been previously reported in equine respiratory samples. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole had low effectiveness. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Because culture and sensitivity testing is not available in the diagnosis of mild to moderate arytenoid chondropathy, the information from this study may allow for more targeted broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment to limit disease progression when the disease is first identified. The antimicrobial susceptibilities and MDR found in this study emphasize the importance of following current antimicrobial guidelines and highlight the requirement for surgical intervention rather than continued medical treatment in cases that do not resolve with initial antimicrobial therapy.

Unilateral arytenoid swelling in acute epiglottitis suggests the presence of peritonsillar abscess.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of acute epiglottitis (AE) and the clinical features of patients with AE complicated by peritonsillar abscess (PTA), considering that PTA, especially inferior-type PTA, is often a comorbidity of AE. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed as having AE by otolaryngologists and referred to our hospital between January 2009 and December 2017. All the patients underwent laryngeal endoscopy and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) for examination of the severity of AE and its complications by other infections, including PTA. The clinical characteristics of patients with PTA were compared with those of patients without PTA. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were enrolled, of whom 21 (15%) were found to have PTA. Among the 21 patients, only one had a superior-type PTA and the others had an inferior-type PTA. The patients with complicated AE by an inferior Cap-type PTA frequently showed unilateral arytenoid swelling. CONCLUSION: PTA is a comorbidity of AE, and unilateral arytenoid swelling is considered to suggest the presence of inferior-type PTA.

Current role of computed tomography imaging in the evaluation of cartilage invasion by laryngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate thyroid, arytenoid, and cricoid cartilage invasion on computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients undergoing total laryngectomy for both primary and recurrent laryngeal carcinoma. Secondary endpoint was to compare laryngeal cartilage invasion between primary and recurrent tumours. METHODS: Pre-treatment CT of 40 patients who had undergone total laryngectomy was retrospectively evaluated and compared with histology. Focal erosions of thyroid cartilage were accounted for neoplastic invasion of the inner cortex. Full-thickness thyroid cartilage invasion was defined as a tumour-like tissue replacing thyroid cartilage or extended in extra-laryngeal soft tissues. Sclerosis and erosion of arytenoid and cricoid cartilages were assessed as signs of neoplastic invasion. RESULTS: CT erosion showed perfect agreement for thyroid inner cortex and cricoid cartilage invasion and almost perfect agreement (87%) for arytenoid cartilage invasion. For tumours in contact with thyroid cartilages, the absence of CT erosion underestimated inner cortex infiltration. CT showed perfect agreement in predicting full-thickness thyroid cartilage invasion only in the case of extra-laryngeal neoplastic extension. Arytenoid sclerosis showed poor correlation with neoplastic invasion. For primary tumours, CT demonstrated good (inner cortex 75%; full-thickness 85%), substantial (67.5%), and perfect (100%) accuracy in thyroid, arytenoid, and cricoid cartilage invasion, respectively. No CT differences were observed between primary and recurrent laryngeal tumours. CONCLUSION: Tumour-like tissue extension in the extra-laryngeal soft tissues was accurate in predicting thyroid cartilage full-thickness invasion. Erosions of arytenoid, cricoid, and thyroid cartilages' inner cortex on CT were highly indicative of neoplastic infiltration. No CT difference in cartilage infiltration between primary and recurrent tumours was observed.

A RAPGEF6 variant constitutes a major risk factor for laryngeal paralysis in dogs.

Laryngeal paralysis (LP) is the inability to abduct the arytenoid cartilages during inspiration, resulting in a partial to complete airway obstruction and consequent respiratory distress. Different forms of LP with varying age of onset exist in dogs. Hereditary early onset forms were reported in several dog breeds. In most breeds, hereditary LP is associated with other neurologic pathologies. Using a genome-wide association study and haplotype analyses, we mapped a major genetic risk factor for an early onset LP in Miniature Bull Terriers to a ~1.3 Mb interval on chromosome 11. Whole genome sequencing of an affected Miniature Bull Terrier and comparison to 598 control genomes revealed a 36 bp insertion into exon 15 of the RAPGEF6 gene (c.1793_1794ins36). The imperfect genotype-phenotype correlation suggested a complex mode of inheritance with a major genetic risk factor involving a recessive risk allele. Homozygosity for the insertion was associated with a 10- to 17-fold increased risk for LP. The insertion allele was only found in Miniature Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers. It was absent from >1000 control dogs of other dog breeds. The insertion sequence contains a splice acceptor motif leading to aberrant splicing in transcripts originating from the mutant allele (r.1732_1780del). This leads to a frameshift and a premature stop codon, p.(Ile587ProfsTer5), removing 64% of the open reading frame. Our results suggest an important role of RAPGEF6 in laryngeal nerve function and provide new clues to its physiological significance.

Prospective validation of an institutional treatment strategy for T1N0M0 glottic carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of a treatment strategy for T1N0 glottic squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: One hundred and seventeen patients were prospectively treated according to institutional guidelines. using 1) laser microsurgery (L) for exophytic tumor, limited to one vocal cord, without extension to the anterior commissure or the vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage, 2) radiotherapy (RT) for large or infiltrative tumor reaching the anterior commissure or the vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage, poor endoscopic exposure and cT1b or 3) partial laryngectomy (PL) for tumor infiltrating the anterior commissure. Ninety-five patients were treated with RT and 22 with surgery alone (S) [L:19; PL:3]. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 81.5% and 97.1% (median follow-up: 73 months), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in OS or DSS between patients treated with RT or S (logrank test: p = 0.974 and 0.978). The 5-year ultimate local control rate reached 98.3%. The local control rate with larynx preservation was 94.9% with no difference between RT (94.7%) and S (95.5%) (χ2: p = 0.891). Continued smoking after RT was significantly associated with a lower 5-year OS (77.9% versus 87%), [HR 3.458; p = 0.043 (95%CI 1.010-11.837)]. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with T1 glottic carcinoma, and based on our previous studies, these data prospectively confirm the oncologic validity of an institutional treatment strategy. Continued smoking after RT correlated with poor OS.

Sclerosis of the arytenoid cartilage and glottic carcinoma: A clinical-pathological study.

BACKGROUND: Given the relevance of any tumor invasion of the arytenoid cartilage or crico-arytenoid unit to the planning open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL) for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), it is important to have a reliable radiological test to assess impairments of these structures. METHODS: We retrospectively compared the endoscopic, radiological, and pathological findings in patients with glottic LSCC who underwent OPHL. RESULTS: The endoscopic finding of a reduced (impaired or absent) vocal cord motility proved more sensitive, with better positive and negative predictive values, but less specific than the radiological finding of complete arytenoid sclerosis in detecting histologically assessable infiltration of the arytenoid cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopy retains a key role in the preoperative workup for glottic LSCC. CT evidence of complete sclerosis of the arytenoid cartilage is related to a dangerous contiguity of the tumor to the cartilage.

Exercising upper respiratory videoendoscopic findings of 50 competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance.

BACKGROUND: Upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy at rest is commonly used to evaluate competition draught horses with URT conditions. Overground endoscopy might be preferred for draught horse URT evaluation as it allows the horses to be driven with harness, overcheck and cart-load under similar conditions to those experienced in the show ring where airway conditions are most prominent. OBJECTIVE: To describe the exercising URT findings of competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: Medical records of competition draught horses undergoing overground endoscopic evaluation between January 2013 and January 2018 with a presenting complaint of abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance were reviewed. Video recordings of resting and overground endoscopy were evaluated in all horses. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated between laryngeal function at rest and at exercise. RESULTS: Fifty competition draught horses were examined. Thirteen had previously undergone URT surgery. There was significant correlation between resting and exercising laryngeal function (ρ = 0.77, P<0.01). Abnormalities were detected in 46 horses and included arytenoid cartilage collapse (n = 31), vocal fold collapse (n = 27), palatal dysfunction (n = 14), epiglottic disorders (n = 11), dynamic laryngeal collapse (n = 1), rostral deviation of the palatopharyngeal arch (n = 3) and medial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (n = 16). The majority of horses had a complex of abnormalities (n = 31) or required exercising examination for identification (n = 41). Incidental upper oesophageal incompetence was observed in nine horses. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Retrospective collection of data. CONCLUSIONS: Overground endoscopic evaluation was a useful technique for identifying URT disorders in competition draught horses. The spectrum of upper airway conditions identified in exercising draught horses supports the use of overground endoscopy as a diagnostic technique and could influence treatment considerations. The Summary is available in Portuguese - see Supporting Information.

Standardizing Laryngeal Cleft Evaluations: Reliability of the Interarytenoid Assessment Protocol.

OBJECTIVE: While the Benjamin-Inglis classification system is widely used to categorize laryngeal clefts, it does not clearly differentiate a type 1 cleft from normal anatomy, and there is no widely accepted or validated protocol for systematically evaluating interarytenoid mucosal height. We sought to propose the interarytenoid assessment protocol as a method to standardize the description of the interarytenoid anatomy and to test its reliability. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of endoscopic videos. SETTING: Pediatric academic center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The interarytenoid assessment protocol comprises 4 steps for evaluation of the interarytenoid region relative to known anatomic landmarks in the supraglottis, glottis, and subglottis. Thirty consecutively selected videos of the protocol were reviewed by 4 otolaryngologists. The raters were blinded to identifying information, and the video order was randomized for each review. We assessed protocol completion times and calculated Cohen's linear-weighted κ coefficient between blinded expert raters and with the operating surgeon to evaluate interrater/intrarater reliability. RESULTS: Median age was 4.9 years (59 months; range, 1 month to 20 years). Median completion time was 144 seconds. Interrater and intrarater reliability showed substantial agreement (interrater κ = 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.55-0.87]; intrarater mean κ = 0.70 [95% CI, 0.59-0.92/rater 1, 0.47-0.85/rater 2]; P < .001). Comparing raters to the operating surgeon demonstrated substantial agreement (mean κ = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.31-0.79/rater 1, 0.48-0.89/rater 2; P < .001). CONCLUSION: The interarytenoid assessment protocol appears reliable in describing interarytenoid anatomy. Rapid completion times and substantial interrater/intrarater reliability were demonstrated. Incorporation of this protocol may provide important steps toward improved standardization in the anatomic description of the interarytenoid region in pediatric dysphagia.

Arytenoid asymmetry in opera singers.

INTRODUCTION: Otolaryngologists commonly observe asymmetrical movements of the arytenoid cartilages, but few authors have described the clinical implications of this asymmetry, especially in singers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of arytenoid asymmetry in adduction in a group of healthy opera singers and to evaluate the impact of this asymmetry on the voice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical charts and laryngeal video recordings of 245 healthy opera singers were retrospectively reviewed. Arytenoid asymmetry was defined in relation to the position of the corniculate cartilages, cuneiform cartilages and aryepiglottic angle. RESULTS: The subjects had a mean age of 38.54years (range: 18 to 85 years) and presented a male-to-female sex ratio of 1.02. About 5% of subjects had a history of smoking. The most common vocal symptoms were occasional dysphonia (4%), followed by vocal fatigue (2%) and pharyngeal dryness (2%). Arytenoid asymmetry was slightly more common in males (50.6%) and predominantly affected the right side (64.5%). The most common form of asymmetry was cuneiform asymmetry (37.5%), followed by aryepiglottic angle asymmetry in 33.1% of cases and corniculate asymmetry in 29.4% of cases. Mild asymmetry was observed in the majority of cases. No correlation was observed between arytenoid asymmetry and vocal symptoms. CONCLUSION: Almost one out of two singers was likely to present arytenoid asymmetry in adduction. The presence of this asymmetry does not appear to be correlated with any vocal symptoms.

Age-related changes affecting the cricoarytenoid joint seen on computed tomography.

We conducted a retrospective chart review to compare four characteristics-cricoarytenoid joint ankylosis, narrowing, erosion, and density increases-in patients younger and older than 65 years. Our study population was made up of 100 patients, who were divided into two groups on the basis of age. The younger group (<65 yr) comprised 49 patients (27 men and 22 women), and the older group (≥65 yr) was made up of 51 patients (25 men and 26 women). Findings on computed tomography (CT) of the neck were used to determine whether each of the four characteristics was present or absent. Overall, we found only one statistically significant difference between the two groups: ankylosis was significantly more common in the older group (p = 0.036). When we looked further at the side of these anatomic changes, we found that the older group had significantly more right-sided and left-sided ankylosis than did the younger group (p = 0.026 for both), as well as significantly more left-sided narrowing (p = 0.028) (some patients had bilateral involvement). When we analyzed age as a continuous variable, older age was again associated with significantly more ankylosis (p = 0.047) and narrowing (p = 0.011). We conclude that CT can be useful for assessing radiologic changes in the cricoarytenoid joint in elderly patients during the workup of dysphonia and abnormal movement of the vocal folds.

Unusual cause of hoarseness: Arytenoid cartilage dislocation without a traumatic event.

Arytenoid cartilage dislocation is a rare but curable cause of hoarseness and is commonly related to intubation or laryngeal trauma. We present a case of arytenoid cartilage dislocation without a traumatic event in a man who complained of acute hoarseness. An 82-year-old man visited our emergency department complaining of acute hoarseness. He had no history of general anesthesia or laryngeal trauma and had not caught a cold. He showed no abnormal physical findings including the pharynx. Examination using a laryngoscope revealed that the left vocal fold was fixed in the paramedian position. We performed contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), but we could not find any cause of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. His hoarseness persisted for one month and the initial CT was therefore reassessed. It was found that the left arytenoid cartilage was dislocated forward, and we therefore made a diagnosis of arytenoid cartilage dislocation without a traumatic event. We tried to refer him to an otolaryngologist for surgical treatment, but he declined. Fortunately, his hoarseness gradually improved over a period of two months. Arytenoid cartilage dislocation rarely occurs without a traumatic event. CT is useful for accurate diagnosis of this condition. Since early diagnosis can lead to appropriate surgical treatment and improvement in vocal function, the possibility of arytenoid cartilage dislocation should be considered in patients with acute hoarseness without apparent causes.