Acute airway obstruction due to spontaneous intrathyroidal haemorrhage

Abstract

A woman in her mid-80’s collapsed while home due to a sudden onset of swelling on her neck compromising the airway. She was intubated on-site and brought to the trauma-centre where she was diagnosed with an intrathyroidal bleeding with compression of the trachea. A subacute left sided thyroid lobectomy was performed, giving immediate relief to the displaced and compressed airway. The patient was discharged after 3 days. The final histopathological examination revealed a microfollicular adenoma with extensive bleeding.