Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.
2016 Aug;49(4):313-316. 10.5090/kjtcs.2016.49.4.313.
Voice Change Due to Paratracheal Air Cysts
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Korea. dreamerkang@hanmail.net
- 2Department of Pathology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Korea.
- KMID: 2348917
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.5090/kjtcs.2016.49.4.313
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.
