Acute airway obstruction due to benign multinodular goitre

BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Apr 16;12(4):e228095. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-228095.

Abstract

Benign multinodular goitre is a common illness. When accompanied by obstructive symptoms, such as dyspnoea, it carries an indication for surgery. Benign multinodular goitres rarely cause acute airway obstruction. We report the case of a 88-year-old woman who presented with acute shortness of breath and stridor. A chest CT revealed marked enlargement of the thyroid gland, with an extensive intrathoracic component. She was proposed for total thyroidectomy. Her intraoperative course was unremarkable, but the patient passed away in postoperative period from ventricular fibrillation. Recognition of these cases is important, as they constitute a preventable cause of mortality if timely diagnosed and treated.

Keywords: respiratory medicine; thyroid disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Airway Obstruction / diagnostic imaging*
  • Airway Obstruction / etiology
  • Airway Obstruction / pathology
  • Dyspnea / diagnostic imaging*
  • Dyspnea / etiology
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Goiter, Nodular / complications
  • Goiter, Nodular / diagnostic imaging*
  • Goiter, Nodular / pathology
  • Humans
  • Radiography, Thoracic*
  • Respiratory Sounds / etiology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / complications*
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / physiopathology