A patient had respiratory difficulty and hoarseness following total thyroidectomy due to bilateral vocal cord palsy. The patient was a 60-year-old man who underwent total thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. He had no laryngeal symptoms prior to the operation. Anesthesia lasted 3.5 hours and was uneventful. Spontaneous respiration resumed after reversal of the neuromuscular blockade. After arriving at the post-anesthesia care unit, he complained of respiratory difficulty and hoarseness. We confirmed bilateral vocal cord palsy by fiberoptic laryngoscopy. It is necessary to perform a complete and thorough search for the underlying cause of vocal cord palsy.