Differential diagnosis and management of airway obstruction in Riedel's thyroiditis: a case report

A case of Riedel's thyroiditis, which required differential diagnosis from malignant tumor of the thyroid gland, and the strategy of surgical treatment is reported. Differential diagnosis prior to the treatment was difficult, but the diagnosis was decided by the histopathological findings of an open biopsy specimen obtained simultaneously in an emergent tracheostomy required for progressive airway stenosis. First-choice treatment for Riedel's thyroiditis has been reported to be steroid administration, however, this treatment was difficult for the present case due to continuous steroid treatment for complicated neuro-Behçet's disease. Therefore, vaporization of the lesion using KTP-LASER and T-tube placement was chosen for the surgical treatment strategy of this patient. After 1 year of follow-up since the operation, the T-tube was removed and the tracheostoma was closed, and the patient has remained symptom free for 412 years. Careful long-term follow-up is still needed for this patient to prevent recurrence of the disease, subsequent complications of autoimmune diseases, and thyroid malignancies.