Ortner syndrome secondary to saccular thoracic aneurysm

Abstract

Mechanical stretching of the left laryngeal nerve secondary to an enlarged left atrium was first described by Dr Norbert Ortner in 1987. An extensive literature search revealed only 76 reported cases of Ortner syndrome, with the more recent reports describing other causes of the syndrome such as pulmonary hypertension, aortic dissection, and a thoracic aneurysm. We recently encountered this rare pathologic entity in an elderly man who had presented with severe hoarseness, presumed to be due to one of the aforementioned vascular anomalies. In the present report, we have highlighted the pathology and hybrid repair of this challenging entity.