Surgical Management of Recurrent Tracheal Stenosis in the Setting of Riedel's Thyroiditis

Riedel's thyroiditis (RT) is a rare, severe IgG4-related fibrosing inflammatory process of the thyroid gland that may present with airway obstruction, dysphagia, and/or dysphonia. Most published reports of treatment of airway obstruction from RT focus on thyroid isthmectomy to relieve compressive or restrictive symptoms, however tracheal stenosis from direct invasion is a more unusual cause of obstruction. Our objectives were to report surgical management of a case of severe, recurrent tracheal stenosis secondary to RT and to review the management of this rare condition.

Case report of single patient with recurrent, severe tracheal stenosis secondary to RT, with literature review of similar cases.

We report a case of severe recurrent tracheal stenosis in the setting of RT managed with bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy and slide tracheoplasty, a previously unreported intervention. Review of the literature identified a single case report in which stenosis secondary to RT was successfully managed with endoscopic dilation.

Tracheal stenosis is an extremely rare complication of RT. In patients with recurrent or severe tracheal stenosis secondary to RT, slide tracheoplasty may be considered after failure of endoscopic dilation.