Werner's Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Hoarseness

Werner's syndrome (WS) is a rare hereditary disorder which is characterized by clinical signs of premature aging. A 31-year-old man presented with a 12-year history of hoarseness. Also noted were diabetes mellitus, cataracts, scleroderma-like skin atrophy, osteoporosis, and hypogonadism. A clinical diagnosis of WS was made. Laryngoscopy revealed bowed vocal folds resulting in a spindle-shaped closure with glottal incompetence during phonation. We used Gortex for medialization of the middle part of vocal fold to correct the glottal gap in this patient. Despite correction of glottal incompetence in patients with WS, quality of voice could not be improved to that of age-matched normal individuals.