Partial unilateral phrenic nerve paralysis caused by a large intrathoracic goitre.
Intrathoracic goitres may cause a variety of symptoms caused by compression of the trachea, neural structures, blood vessels and the oesophagus. A case history is presented of a patient with a recurrent goitre after subtotal thyroidectomy who displayed partial unilateral phrenic paralysis, which subsided after a second subtotal thyroidectomy. Compression of the phrenic nerve appears to be a very rare manifestation of an intrathoracic goitre and thus far has never been reported.
van Doorn
L G
LG
Department of Medicine, Maria Hospital, Tilburg, Netherlands.
Kranendonk
S E
SE
D005260:Female; D006045:Goiter, Substernal / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D010791:Phrenic Nerve; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D013965:Thyroidectomy