MyMedR

Fulltext Intermittent respiratory obstruction secondary to a solitary fibrous tumour

Shashinder S, Kuljit S, Rahmat O, Usha DA, Gopala GK

Med J Malaysia, 2006 Oct;61(4):501-2.

There have been fourteen cases of solitary fibrous tumour reported as originating from the paranasal sinuses. Here we report a case of solitary fibrous tumour that involved the right nasal cavity with extension into the oropharynx causing stertor and intermittent respiratory obtruction. Histopathology examination revealed the tumuor cells expressed CD34 turnout marker.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis

Fulltext Obstructive retrosternal goitre mimicking severe bronchial asthma in pregnancy

Loo GH, Wan Mat WR, Muhammad R, Azman M

BMJ Case Rep, 2019 Aug 04;12(8).

PMID: 31383679 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2019-229763

Acute airway obstruction in pregnancy remains a challenge to manage. Failure of appropriate and timely airway management may lead to maternal morbidity and mortality such as aspiration pneumonitis or worst hypoxaemic cardiopulmonary arrest. 1 As pregnancy may exacerbate asthma attacks, parturient presenting with wheezing or shortness of breath will commonly be treated as suffering from an asthmatic attack. 2 However, it is important to note other possible differential diagnoses. Thyroid disease is relatively common in women of childbearing age. The thyroid gland undergoes several changes during pregnancy, which may lead to altered function as well as gland enlargement and cause upper airway obstruction and symptoms similar to a bronchial asthma attack. 3 4 With that in mind, we report a case of a parturient with long-standing goitre in her second trimester who presented to our institution with acute respiratory symptoms and cardiopulmonary arrest.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis*

Right aortic arch with isolation of the left subclavian artery: a rare association with airway obstruction

Yubbu P, Latiff HA, Adam Abbaker AM

Cardiol Young, 2017 Apr;27(3):613-616.

PMID: 27817752 DOI: 10.1017/S1047951116001840

We present two interesting cases of isolated left subclavian artery from the pulmonary artery with symptoms of upper airway obstruction. The first patient had tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary artery sling, bilateral superior caval veins, and left bronchial isomerism, suggesting heterotaxy syndrome. The second patient had a right aortic arch, isolated left subclavian artery, and bilateral arterial ducts. These two cases are interesting because of their rarity and uncommon presentation.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis

Fulltext Congenital tongue base lipoblastoma causing neonatal airway compromise

Wan MH, Tengku Nun Ahmad TE, Naicker MS, Abu Bakar MZ

BMJ Case Rep, 2021 Jan 18;14(1).

PMID: 33462056 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2020-239554

Lipoblastomas are benign tumours of immature fat cells presenting in infancy. A lipoblastoma within the airway lumen causing airway compromise is an extremely rare occurrence. We present a 6 hours of life girl who had airway compromise due to a lobulated mass at the base of the tongue. The mass was excised after emergency endotracheal intubation.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis

Aspirated foreign bodies in children: 10-Years experience in a single tertiary centre in New Zealand

Jeong JH, Saniasiaya J, McCaffer C

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2025 Feb;189:112234.

PMID: 39826238 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2025.112234

OBJECTIVE: Aspirated foreign bodies (FB) are potentially life-threatening conditions which can be challenging to diagnose in children. The previous similar study from our hospital, published in 2014, created a guideline suggesting when to proceed to laryngobronchoscopy (LB) in suspected FB aspiration with over 99 % sensitivity. The grading system included the presence or absence of acute history, positive examination, and/or radiological findings, including witnessed choking, dysphonia, stridor, wheezing, or reduced air entry on examination or abnormal radiological findings. The current study reviewed a further 10 years and 5 months of data to re-evaluate the ongoing diagnostic usefulness of the three positive findings in children with suspicion of aspirated FB.

METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of all LB performed at our institution for suspected acute FB aspiration from August 2013 to January 2023. We analysed patient characteristics, clinical examination, radiological findings, and outcomes.

RESULTS: We found a total of 100 children under the age of 16 years who underwent LB for suspected FB aspiration. The mean age of our study population was 2.6 years. The population demographics were similar to the results from the previous study from our institution, with Māori and Pasifika children having the highest probability of finding a FB on LB. Male children presenting for suspected FB aspiration are 1.39 times more likely than female children to have a foreign body at LB (p = 0.04). Overall, having two or more positive findings had a sensitivity of 100 %. History or examination alone are more sensitive (both 95.6 %) but less specific (12.5 % and 31.3 %, respectively). Abnormal radiology alone was more specific (75.0) but less sensitive (77.9 %). The most common site of FB was the right bronchial tree (45.6 %), followed by the left (39.7 %). 95 % of FB were organic, and 54 % were nuts. The negative bronchoscopy rate was 32 %.

CONCLUSION: Two or more positive indicators in history, examination and radiological findings continue to be highly sensitive predictors for the presence of an aspirated foreign body in our paediatric population. We recommend a future large-scale multicentre study to confirm how applicable these findings would be to a broader cohort of patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis

Malignant cervical teratoma in an adult presenting with impending airway obstruction

Lukman MR, Jasmi AY, Sarinah B, Nurismah MI, Aishah MA

Asian J Surg, 2005 Jul;28(3):227-9.

PMID: 16024322

Extragonadal teratomas and germ cell tumours are uncommon. Most teratomas of the head and neck present in the paediatric age group. Occurrence of such tumours in an adult is extremely rare and, to date, less than 40 cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a young man presenting with impending airway obstruction secondary to a malignant teratoma of the neck.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis*

Iatrogenic tracheal flap mimicking tracheal stenosis with resultant stridor

Tan KL, Chong AW, Amin MA, Raman R

J Laryngol Otol, 2012 Jul;126(7):751-5.

PMID: 22578299 DOI: 10.1017/S0022215112000795

To illustrate a case of an iatrogenic mucosal tear in the trachea which caused a one-way valve effect, obstructing the airway and manifesting as post-extubation stridor.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis*

A videoendoscopic evaluation of the upper airway in South East Asian adults with obstructive sleep apnea

Abdullah B, Rajet KA, Abd Hamid SS, Mohammad WM

Sleep Breath, 2011 Dec;15(4):747-54.

PMID: 20957444 DOI: 10.1007/s11325-010-0431-7

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the severity of upper airway obstruction at the retropalatal and retroglossal regions in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.

METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study at the Sleep Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscopy was performed in seated erect and supine position. Retropalatal and retroglossal regions were continuously recorded during quiet breathing and Mueller's maneuver in both positions. Captured images were measured using Scion Image software and narrowing rate was calculated. Level of each site was classified based on Fujita classification and severity of obstruction using Sher scoring system for Mueller's maneuver.

RESULTS: A total of 59 patients participated in this study. Twenty-nine (49.2%) participants had type 1 (retropalatal) obstruction, 23 (38.9%) had type 2 (retropalatal and retroglossal), and seven (11.9%) in type 3 (retroglossal) obstruction. Fifty (84.7%) of the patients have severe obstruction at the retropalatal region in supine position (SRP) followed by 35 (59.3%) at retropalatal region in erect position (ERP), 27 (45.8%) at retroglossal region in supine position (SRG) and eight (13.5%) at retroglossal region in erect position (ERG). The average oxygen saturation showed significant association in ERP (P = 0.012) and SRP (P < 0.001), but not significant in ERG and SRG.

CONCLUSIONS: Videoendoscopy utilizing flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscopy and Scion Image software is reliable, minimally invasive, and useful as an office procedure in evaluating the multilevel obstruction of upper airway in OSA patients. The retropalatal region has more severe obstruction compared with retroglossal region either in erect or supine position.

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis*

Fulltext Relationship between symptoms and objective measures of airway obstruction in asthmatic patients

Liam CK, Goh CT, Isahak M, Lim KH, Wong CM

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 2001 Jun;19(2):79-83.

PMID: 11699724

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between asthma symptoms and the degree of airway obstruction as measured by the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in a group of 64 asthmatic patients with clinically stable disease attending a university-based urban asthma clinic. Asthma symptoms did not correlate with the degree of airway obstruction as measured by prebronchodilator PEFR (total asthma symptom score vs PEFR: r = -0.214, p = 0.104, n = 59) and only correlated poorly with prebronchodilator FEV1 (total asthma symptom score vs FEV1: r = -0.256, p = 0.041, n = 64). These results lend support to the recommendation that airway obstruction should be measured objectively when assessing patients with chronic persistent asthma.
Study site: Asthma clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Airway Obstruction/diagnosis*

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