title: Unusual presentation of acute upper airway obstruction caused by an anterior mediastinal mass.
abstract: We report an unusual case of acute upper airway obstruction. Inhalation of a foreign body caused choking in a 5-yr-old child, but subsequent investigations revealed a large anterior mediastinal tumour, externally compressing the trachea and the main bronchi. Such a presentation may be deceptive and is important, as general anaesthesia may result in complete airway obstruction with fatal consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Hospital For Sick Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ridley
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Best
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000150:complications*; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed