Penetrating Neck Laceation with Epiglottis Amputation Which Was Successfully Repaired / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Penetrating traumatic laryngeal injuries are relatively rare and traumatic injuries to the epiglottis are extremely rare. The present case is 58-year old man with suicidal history, chronic alcoholism, and schizophrenia who complained of neck laceration and unconsciousness after stab injury. Examination revealed a large transverse laceration of 7 cm in size, penetrating deep to the level of thyroid cartilage from the lateral border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, exposing the thyroid cartilage. There was about a 3 cm-sized deep wound under the thyroid gland level but no major vessel injury. The stump of transected epiglottis accompanied by rupture of thyroid membrane was shown but the esophagus was intact. We sewed the amputated epiglottis with the rest of the epiglottis by using two Lambert sutures with vicryl 4-zero on each side under general anesthesia. There was no necrosis of the severed epiglottis, swallowing difficulty, and aspiration on eating food. We report here on the penetrating laceration with subtotal transection of epiglottis that was successfully repaired.