Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription.
  • If you are a subscriber, please sign in 'My Account' at the top right of the screen.

  • If you want to subscribe to this journal, see our rates


@@#116300@@

European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases
Sous presse. Epreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le samedi 12 mai 2012
Doi : 10.1016/j.anorl.2012.02.004
Bilateral vocal cord abductor paralysis associated with primary herpes simplex infection: A case report
 

V. Dupuch a, N. Saroul a, ⁎ , C. Aumeran b, R. Pastourel a, T. Mom a, L. Gilain a
a Service ORL et chirurgie cervicofaciale, CHU Gabriel-Montpied, 58, rue Montalembert, 63003 Clermont-Ferrand cedex 1, France 
b Service d’hygiène hospitalière, CHU Gabriel-Montpied, 58, rue Montalembert, 63003 Clermont-Ferrand cedex 1, France 

Corresponding author. Tel.: +04 73 75 16 80; fax: +04 73 75 16 82.
Summary
Objective

To report a case of bilateral vocal cord abductor paralysis in the context of primary herpes simplex infection.

Case report

A 63-year-old man was urgently admitted to hospital with laryngeal dyspnoea associated with dysphagia but without dysphonia. Physical examination demonstrated the vocal cords in a paramedian position with paralysis of abduction. The patient reported primary herpes simplex infection two weeks prior to this episode. HSV serology indicated recent infection and lumbar puncture demonstrated the presence of herpes simplex virus type 1 in the cerebrospinal fluid. Complete resolution of respiratory symptoms was observed after 21 days of treatment with intravenous aciclovir.

Discussion and conclusion

Gerhardt syndrome comprises inspiratory dyspnoea without dysphonia. It used to be mainly due to syphilis, but is now mostly observed in the setting of neurodegenerative disease. The authors report a case of Gerhardt syndrome occurring after an episode of primary herpes simplex infection with the presence of herpes simplex virus in the CSF. Treatment by intravenous antiviral drugs allowed rapid resolution of the symptoms. The pathophysiology of Gerhardt syndrome remains unexplained, but the possible role of herpes simplex infection should be considered in cases of laryngeal palsy.


Keywords : Bilateral vocal cord abductor paralysis, Herpes simplex virus


OutlineMasquer le plan
Introduction
Case report
Discussion
Conclusion
Disclosure of interest


© 2012  Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
EM-CONSULTE.COM is registrered at the CNIL, déclaration n° 1286925.
As per the Law relating to information storage and personal integrity, you have the right to oppose (art 26 of that law), access (art 34 of that law) and rectify (art 36 of that law) your personal data. You may thus request that your data, should it be inaccurate, incomplete, unclear, outdated, not be used or stored, be corrected, clarified, updated or deleted.
Personal information regarding our website's visitors, including their identity, is confidential.
The owners of this website hereby guarantee to respect the legal confidentiality conditions, applicable in France, and not to disclose this data to third parties.
Close
Article Outline
You can move this window by clicking on the headline
Start of article
Introduction
Case report
Discussion
Conclusion
Disclosure of interest
References