Vocal cord paralysis after transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure with AMPLATZERTM Vascular Plug II

The recurrent laryngeal nerve was often injured following cardiovascular surgery, intervention, maneuver, and endotracheal intubation. Ortner’s syndrome was defined by Ortner in 1897 as a “cardiovascular disease as an underlying cause of hoarseness” (1). The Vagus nerve and recurrent laryngeal nerve travel in proximity of cardiovascular structures. Hence, these nerves are prone to injury during cardiac interventions (2). Herein, we present a case of a 2-year-old girl with Down syndrome who had left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) paralysis after transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure and presented with pulmonary hypertensive crisis due to upper airway obstruction.