Volume 11, Number 1, January-February 2004

Left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy secondary to an aortic aneurysm (Ortner’s syndrome)
F Runa Ali, Andrew J Hails, Bernard Yung

In patients presenting with persistent hoarseness due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) palsy and an abnormal left hilum on chest radiographs, a major cause is bronchogenic carcinoma. We describe two cases presenting with such a combination of symptoms and signs in whom a diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma was suspected. In each case, the LRLN palsy was in fact due to direct compression of the nerve by an aortic aneurysm.

Br J Cardiol 2004;11:69-70.

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