Delayed intrathyroidal hematoma causing respiratory distress after a seemingly benign fall: a case report

A rare event of a fall causing delayed intrathyroidal hematoma and respiratory distress is reported here. A 75-year-old woman with symptoms of vertigo causing syncope and fall 24 h earlier was seen and discharged from our emergency department after an unremarkable physical exam and 6-h observation p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of emergency medicine 2010-12, Vol.3 (4), p.431-433
Main Authors: Chartier, Lucas B., Turner, Joel P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiology
Cardiology
Case Report
Emergency Medicine
Internal Medicine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pediatrics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A rare event of a fall causing delayed intrathyroidal hematoma and respiratory distress is reported here. A 75-year-old woman with symptoms of vertigo causing syncope and fall 24 h earlier was seen and discharged from our emergency department after an unremarkable physical exam and 6-h observation period. Within 3 h of discharge, the patient was transported back by Emergency Medical Services with an enlarging neck mass and subjective respiratory distress. CT scan demonstrated a large, expanding hematoma, and the patient underwent an emergency hemithyroidectomy. Hürtle cell adenoma was found on pathologic specimen examination. A review of the literature of similar cases is presented, emphasizing the notion that concurrent thyroid pathology is a risk factor for airway compromise after seemingly benign trauma and that airway compromise can present in a delayed fashion.
ISSN:1865-1372
1865-1380
1865-1380
DOI:10.1007/s12245-010-0196-6