Acute superior laryngeal palsy is often clinically unrecognized and frequently overlooked. Yet, this motor paralysis occurs more frequently than facial paralysis. Like acute facial paralysis, superior laryngeal palsy often occurs as part of a cranial polyneuritis that is probably related to herpes simplex virus reactivation. Rotation of the larynx and shortening of one vocal cord have been found in such diverse syndromes as vestibular neuronitis, migraine and tension headaches, unexplained cough, tinnitus aurium, globus hystericus, and carotidynia. Electromyographic studies suggest that laryngeal spasm may be caused by faulty regeneration of the superior, rather than the recurrent, laryngeal nerve.
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