Definition of Palsy, laryngeal nerve

Palsy, laryngeal nerve: Paralysis of the larynx (voice box) caused by damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve or its parent nerve, the vagus nerve, which originates in the brainstem and runs down to the colon. The recurrent laryngeal nerve supplies the larynx (voice box). The larynx will be paralyzed on the side where this nerve has been damaged, unless the problem originated with damage to the vagus nerve itself. Damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve can result from diseases inside the chest, such as a tumor, an aneurysm of the arch of the aorta, or an aneurysm of the left atrium of the heart.