Dysphonia associated with epidural steroid injection: a case report.

A 46-year-old patient with left-side low back pain developed symptoms of dysphonia and throat irritation 24 hours after receiving a fluoroscopically guided steroid injection into the epidural space. A direct laryngoscopy performed before a second injection detected no abnormalities. When dysphonia reappeared 48 hours after that injection, laryngoscopy revealed edema in the anterior vocal cord with thick surrounding mucous. Full clinical resolution of the dysphonia was apparent by laryngoscopy 15 days after the second injection. The mechanism of dysphonia after epidural steroid injection is unknown, but it may result from a systemic steroid effect.