How to Pronounce Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy Pronunciation
reh-KUR-ent lah-RIN-jee-al NERV PAWL-zee
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
reh
KUR
stress here
ent lah
RIN
stress here
jee
al NERV PAWL
zee
7 syllables
What is Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy?
Paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (a branch of the vagus nerve that supplies all intrinsic laryngeal muscles except the cricothyroid), causing hoarseness and a breathy voice from unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Causes include thyroid surgery, lung cancer, aortic aneurysm, and mediastinal masses.
Questions About Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy
How do you pronounce 'recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy'?
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Say it like this: reh-KUR-ent lah-RIN-jee-ul NERV PAWL-zee. The stress falls on the second syllable of 'recurrent' (KUR) and the second syllable of 'laryngeal' (RIN). The word 'palsy' rhymes with 'false-ee' and is stressed on the first syllable.
What does 'recurrent' mean in this medical term?
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'Recurrent' comes from Latin and means 'running back' or 'returning.' In this case, it refers to a nerve that curves back—the recurrent laryngeal nerve branches off and loops back up toward the voice box, unlike other nerves that go straight.
Where does the word 'laryngeal' come from?
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'Laryngeal' comes from the Greek word 'larynx,' which is another name for your voice box. The '-eal' ending means 'relating to,' so 'laryngeal' means 'relating to the larynx or voice box.'
What does 'palsy' mean in plain English?
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'Palsy' is an older medical term that simply means paralysis or weakness of muscles. You might hear it in other conditions too, like 'Bell's palsy,' which affects facial muscles.
Can you break this term into syllables?
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Yes: re-CUR-rent la-RIN-geal NERVE PAL-sy. Notice that 'recurrent' has three syllables, 'laryngeal' has four, and the other two words are one syllable each.
What's a common mispronunciation of this term?
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Many people stress the first syllable and say 'REC-ur-ent' instead of 'reh-KUR-ent.' Also, 'laryngeal' is often mispronounced as 'lar-IN-jee-ul' when it should be 'lah-RIN-jee-ul' with a softer starting sound.
Is there a short way to write or say this condition?
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Yes, doctors sometimes abbreviate it as 'RLNP' or just say 'recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy' or 'RLN palsy.' You might also hear it called simply 'vocal cord paralysis' in everyday conversation.
What other medical words share the root 'laryn-'?
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Several words use the 'laryn-' root: laryngitis (inflammation of the voice box), laryngoscope (a tool to look at the voice box), and laryngeal cancer. They all relate to the larynx or voice box.
Can you use this term in a simple sentence?
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Sure: 'The doctor explained that the patient's hoarse voice was caused by recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy.' This sentence shows how you'd use the complete medical term in context.