Left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy secondary to an aortic aneurysm (Ortner’s syndrome)

In patients presenting with persistent hoarseness due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) palsy and an abnormal left hilum on chest radiographs, a major cause is bronchogenic carcinoma. We describe two cases presenting with such a combination of symptoms and signs in whom a diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma was suspected. In each case, the LRLN palsy was in fact due to direct compression of the nerve by an aortic aneurysm.