title: Repeated postoperative laryngeal obstruction due to bilateral cricoarytenoid joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: A 61-year-old woman with a 40-year history of severe rheumatoid arthritis developed postoperative laryngeal obstruction twice; the first episode occurred just after surgery for cervical myelopathy and the second episode occurred 3 weeks after surgery when physiotherapy activity increased. A flexible laryngeal endoscopy demonstrated that abduction of the bilateral vocal cords was severely disturbed at the paramedian position, suggesting a diagnosis of cricoarytenoid arthritis. Early administration of corticosteroids was successful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ryuzaburo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Higo
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oda