Larygospasm secondary to a multinodular goitre

ABSTRACT

Laryngospasm is a serious event that can result in partial or complete upper airway obstruction. It is a common complication during recovery phase of anaesthesia, resulting from acute irritation of the vocal folds. We report a rare case of laryngospasm secondary to a multinodular goitre that settled after treatment. We postulate that the enlarged thyroid gland can lead to direct irritation of the laryngeal nerve as possible cause of repeated episodes of laryngospasm in this patient. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a multinodular goitre as the underlying cause of laryngospasm.