SUPERIOR LARYNGEAL NERVE PARESIS AFTER WH IPLASH INJURY

Background: The current literature rejects the possibility of strain o f the superior laryngeal nerves by whiplash injury. However, due to th e anatomic situation and the mechanism of the whiplash injury this dam age does not seem unlikely. Patient: A 58-year-old male patient, who w as a trained singer, complained of a loss of his head voice following a major whiplash injury. Indirect laryngoscopy revealed no unusual fin dings. The phoniatric examination showed a loss of the head voice in t he vocal field indicating paresis of the superior laryngeal nerves. Th ree and one-half months after the whiplash injury, the paresis had com pletely receded and the patient had a voice well above average with an excellent frequency range. Conclusion: In the case presented the pare sis of the superior laryngeal nerves could have been caused by a strai n of the nerves during whiplash injury. A complete and exact phoniatri c diagnosis can be recommended for elderly patients complaining of an altered voice following whiplash injury.