Thyroid gland hematoma after blunt cervical trauma

Thyroid hematoma is a rare cause of airway obstruction in victims of blunt trauma, The case of a 34-year-old woman who developed orthopnea after a low -energy motor vehicle accident is described. Presenting greater than 24 hou rs after her accident, the patient noted dysphagia, tracheal deviation, and postural dyspnea. The diagnosis of thyroid gland hematoma was made with a combination of fiberoptic laryngoscopy, cervical computed tomography, and g reat vessel and carotid angiography, Invasive airway management was not req uired, The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy and recovered without co mplications. Copyright (C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company.