Voice Change Due to Paratracheal Air Cysts

Abstract

Paratracheal air cysts are a rare entity in which cystic formation occurs adjacent to the trachea. Most patients with paratracheal air cysts are asymptomatic, and the cysts are detected incidentally on chest radiograph or computed tomography (CT) scan. Most symptomatic patients complain of pulmonary symptoms or repeated respiratory infection. Rarely, the air cysts can lead to paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve as a result of direct compression. We report a case of a 59-year-old male patient who presented with voice change, and the cause was identified as paratracheal air cysts on a chest CT scan. Surgical resection via video-assisted mediastinoscopy was performed, and the voice recovered immediately after the operation.

A Rare Large Symptomatic Paratracheal Air Cyst in a 62-Year-Old Woman

“…Pain was not the main complaint of the patient-rather, her main complaints were pharyngitis and sensation of a mass-like lesion on her neck, and exertional dyspnea due to pressure of the cyst on the main airways, chronic cough, dysphagia, and hoarseness. The most important symptoms in this case were dysphagia and hoarseness due to the external pressure of the cyst on the esophagus and the right RLN, reported in rare cases [7,8].…”

“…They may accompany some respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung emphysema, or, rarely, the cyst itself can cause some problems such as chronic cough, recurrent infections, dyspnea, dysphagia, and hoarseness due to external pressure on main airways, esophagus, and right recurrent laryngeal nerve [5,7].…”