Mukherjee Aveek, Ghosh Raisa, Anandam Anil
Internal Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, USA.
Internal Medicine, Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, USA.
Cureus. 2020 May 27;12(5):e8309. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8309.
Obstruction of the airway is a medical emergency. If it is not treated immediately, rapid and potentially life-threatening hypoxia develops. A 70-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and palatine tonsillectomy presented to our tertiary care hospital with dysphagia, odynophagia, muffled voice, and neck swelling of a one-week duration. She also complained of associated shortness of breath that began two days prior to hospital admittance. Bedside laryngoscopy revealed an enlarged base of the tongue and laryngeal edema, resulting in partial airway obstruction. A CT scan of the soft tissue of the neck revealed that lingual tonsillar hypertrophy (LTH) was the cause of the partial airway obstruction. While being closely monitored, the patient was treated with intravenous corticosteroids and antibiotics. Serial laryngoscopies were performed to track the resolution of the airway obstruction. Her hospital course remained uneventful, and the patient was discharged after four days. Though rare, LTH has a strong propensity to cause airway compromise, and it must be treated at once.
气道梗阻是一种医疗急症。如果不立即治疗，会迅速发展为可能危及生命的低氧血症。一名有高血压病史且行过腭扁桃体切除术的70岁女性因吞咽困难、吞咽痛、声音低沉和颈部肿胀一周前来我院三级护理医院就诊。她还主诉在入院前两天开始出现呼吸急促。床旁喉镜检查显示舌根肿大和喉部水肿，导致部分气道梗阻。颈部软组织CT扫描显示舌扁桃体肥大（LTH）是部分气道梗阻的原因。在密切监测的同时，患者接受了静脉注射皮质类固醇和抗生素治疗。进行了系列喉镜检查以追踪气道梗阻的缓解情况。她的住院过程平稳，四天后出院。虽然罕见，但LTH极易导致气道受压，必须立即治疗。
