Isolated comminuted fracture of the cricoid cartilage and narrowing of the airway after a traumatic blunt injury of the neck: a case report

• Published in: International journal of emergency medicine Vol. 15; no. 1; p. 55
• Main Authors: Mehrabi, Saadat, Hosseinpour, Reza, Yavari Barhaghtalab, Mohammad Javad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 05.10.2022; Springer Nature B.V; BMC
• Subjects: Angiology; Cardiology; Cartilage; Case Report; Case reports; Cricoid cartilage; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medicine; Fracture; Fractures; Internal Medicine; Laryngoscopy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Narrowing of the airway; Neck; Pediatrics; Trauma; Traumatic blunt injury; Narrowing of the airway; Fracture; Neck; Cricoid cartilage; Traumatic blunt injury
• ISSN: 1865-1372; 1865-1380
• DOI: 10.1186/s12245-022-00459-9

Background Blunt trauma to the anterior of the neck may compromise the vital structures like major blood vessels, trachea, larynx, pharynx, thyroid, spine, esophagus, and the cricoid. Laryngeal trauma is rare and accounts for 1% of all neck blunt traumas. Cricoid trauma is also very rare and accounts for half of the laryngeal traumas, and the diagnosis is frequently missed. Case presentation A 43-year-old man, with blunt neck trauma after being hardly hit by a crane lifting hook, was referred to the Shahid Beheshti Hospital. The patient complained of dysphonia (hoarseness) and dyspnea. The CT scans showed a comminuted fracture of the left anterior arch of the cricoid cartilage with left-sided mucosal thickening, inflammation, and edema which was extended to the glottis, causing a narrowing of the airway. Direct fiber-optic laryngoscopy revealed swelling and congestion in the epiglottis and swelling at the level of the left vocal cord. Conclusion This case report highlights the conservative treatment of isolated cricoid cartilage fracture in the setting of low-energy blunt trauma. The patient was clinically stable and treated conservatively with oxygen therapy and silence therapy (complete silence).