Giant Thyroid Gland Abscess Causing Upper Airway Obstruction: A Case Report

Abstract

Background

Thyroid gland abscess is a rare pathology with life-threatening complications when there is a delay in diagnosis. However, physicians should be aware of and consider this differential in patients with anterior neck swelling having acute onset compressive symptoms to ensure early diagnosis and management.

Case Presentation

A 62-year-old female patient presenting with worsening of painful anterior neck swelling with associated fever, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. The patient was found to have a thyroid abscess causing upper airway obstruction, against a background of follicular nodular disease found on clinical examination, cytology and fluid analysis from aspirate, biopsy, ultrasonography, and computed tomography. The patient was managed with endotracheal intubation and was subsequently discharged after recovery with antibiotic therapy, incision and drainage, and thyroid lobectomy.

Conclusion

Thyroid abscess is an uncommon, critical clinical condition with high morbidity and mortality. Thyroid gland abscess should be considered while evaluating patients presenting with acute onset anterior neck swelling. Satisfactory clinical outcomes could be achieved with early diagnosis and proper management.

Keywords:

• thyroid abscess
• thyroid emergency
• upper airway obstruction
• anterior neck mass
• incision and drainage
• thyroidectomy

Ethical Approval

Ethical approval is deemed unnecessary by St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College Institutional Review Board as this is a single rare case faced during clinical practice and it does not involve experiments on humans or animals.

Consent for Publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication and use of images. The written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal upon inquiry.

Acknowledgment

We would like to express our gratitude to the patient for giving us consent to publish this case report.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

There is no source of funding for this study.