title: Thyroid gland rupture caused by blunt trauma to the neck.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid rupture following blunt trauma is extremely rare, and neck pain without swelling may be the only presenting symptom. However, hemorrhage and hematoma subsequently causes severe tracheal compression and respiratory distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 71-year-old Japanese woman visited our emergency room with a complaint of increasing right-sided neck pain at the thyroid cartilage level after she tripped and accidentally hit her neck against a pole 3 h back. On admission, her vital signs were stable. There was no swelling or subcutaneous emphysema. Laryngeal endoscopy revealed mild laryngeal edema, although there was no impairment in vocal fold mobility on either side. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed rupture of the right lobe of the thyroid gland accompanied by a large hematoma extending from the neck to the mediastinum. Under general anesthesia, the right lobe was resected and the hematoma was evacuated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only a few isolated cases of thyroid rupture caused by blunt neck trauma have been reported in patients with normal thyroid glands and neck pain without swelling may be the only presenting symptom. When suspected, CT should be performed to confirm the diagnosis determine the optimal treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan. harahiro@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan. hirose-y@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan. hiro-shi@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012421:Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media