Abstract
IntroductionBenign cervical goiters rarely cause acute airway obstruction.Case presentationWe report the case of a 64-year-old woman of African descent who presented with acute shortness of breath. She required immediate intubation and later a total thyroidectomy for a benign cervical multi-nodular goiter with no retrosternal tracheal compression.ConclusionBenign multi-nodular goiters are commonly left untreated once euthyroid. Peak inspiratory flow rates should be measured via spirometry in all goiters to assess the degree of tracheal compression. Once tracheal compression is identified, an elective total thyroidectomy should be performed to prevent morbidity and mortality from acute airway obstruction.
Highlights
Benign cervical goiters rarely cause acute airway obstruction.Case presentation: We report the case of a 64-year-old woman of African descent who presented with acute shortness of breath
We present the case of a patient with recurrent benign cervical multinodular goiter presenting with acute airway obstruction
Using spirometry as a screening tool, the incidence of upper airway obstruction ranged from 10% to 31% [8]
Summary
The incidence of acute airway obstruction due to a benign goiter, is quite low, with cases due to purely cervical goiters being rare. This has allowed physicians a conservative approach to management. On review of the literature, tracheal compression with decreased inspiratory flow rates are found in onethird of cases. The management of benign cervical multi-nodular goiters should include inspiratory spirometry. Once compromised airflow is identified, prophylactic total thyroidectomy should be performed to avoid the dangers of complete airway obstruction. AS and VN performed the literature search and major contributors to writing the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript
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