Laryngeal fracture is a rare traumatic injury, potentially fatal, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 30,000 patients admitted to severe trauma centers. Because of the rarity of this injury, physician may be not aware of its existence, leading to a late diagnosis of this entity. We report a case of a 59-year-old woman admitted to the emergency room after a motorcycle accident with cervical trauma. The patient presented with dysphonia, hemoptysis, cervical subcutaneous emphysema, and increasing respiratory distress that led to the intubation of the patient. CT-scan demonstrated displaced fracture of the cricoid and thyroid cartilage. The patient was submitted to tracheostomy and the fracture was surgically repaired. Tracheostomy was removed in third postoperative month. The patient presented a good recovery, reporting only hoarseness but without swallowing or breathing problems at 6-month follow-up.
Nontraumatic haematoma of parapharyngeal space is very rare and may cause dysphagia and dyspnea. The authors present a case report of a 74-year-old woman with sudden nontraumatic neck swelling without dyspnea and with left pharyngeal bulging and endolaryngeal displacement. Parathyroid hormone elevation and imaging exams confirmed bleeding from a parathyroid adenoma. Symptoms and signs resolved after one week of conservative treatment. There are few cases of parapharyngeal haematomas caused by parathyroid adenomas. Most patients can be managed without emergent surgery, but close airway monitoring is fundamental.
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