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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Awake Nasotracheal Intubation with Flexible Video Rhino-Laryngoscopes
Published on: August 2, 2024
Dysphagia, hoarseness, and a hypopharyngeal mass
Michael R England1, Marissa A Schwartz, Daniel Flis
1From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; †Otolaryngology Resident, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut; and ‡Department of Otolarngology, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
We describe a patient who developed a hypopharyngeal mass (in the setting of a cervical osteophyte) while taking clopidogrel and aspirin for coronary artery disease. He had a 2-month history of progressive dysphagia and hoarseness. Physical examination and computed tomography scan revealed a soft tissue retropharyngeal mass of unclear etiology yet with a stable airway. He was admitted to the intensive care unit for a 48-hour clopidogrel washout followed by surgery. A hematoma and cervical osteophyte were removed with scant bleeding. This case report emphasizes the need to consider the medication history of a patient when assessing the cause of an otherwise unexpected finding.
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