Acute airway compromise secondary to traumatic thyroid hemorrhage

Hemorrhage into cystic thyroid nodules is a relatively frequent event. Most cases are mild, causing only pain and discomfort, and rarely cause significant neck swelling. Even more rarely, however, massive hemorrhage into a thyroid nodule can result in a rapidly expanding hematoma with airway compromise. We report a case of a rapidly expanding thyroid hematoma that occurred after minor trauma and resulted in airway compromise in a patient with no clinical or surgical evidence of thyroid disease. We also present a review of the literature.