We reported on a case of Reinke's edema with dyspnea following resection of the right recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery for thyroid papillary carcinoma. A 55-year-old female, who was a smoker, presented with a greater than 20-year-history of hoarseness of the voice, without dyspnea. She was diagnosed as having type III Reinke's edema according to Yonekawa's classification of Reinke's edema.
She had undergone total thyroidectomy with modified selective neck dissection for thyroid papillary carcinoma involving right vocal cord, at the Department of Surgery, Kitasato University Hospital. The right vocal cord was fixed at the paramedian position. The patient had developed dyspnea transiently for a few days. Subsequently, she began to suffer from dyspnea upon exertion or when she developed a cold. The patient was diagnosed as having Reinke's edema. The dyspnea disappeared after endolaryngeal microsurgery. The right vocal cord was fixed at the median position, the mean air flow rate improved, and the fundamental frequency of her voice was higher than before the operation.