Thyroid gland injury after blunt neck trauma: a case report

Soft-tissue injuries are relatively common after blunt neck trauma. Due to neck content, several vital structures can be compromised. Isolated trauma to the thyroid is highly uncommon, and few cases are reported in the literature. A 61-year-old otherwise healthy woman sustained blunt trauma to the left frontal half of the neck caused by seatbelt injury in a motor vehicle accident. She presented with a painful anterior neck swelling associated with dyspnea. Computed tomography showed the left thyroid lobe lacerations with features suggestive of thyroid gland active bleeding. She underwent surgical exploration with left thyroidectomy and recovered uneventfully. Isolated thyroid gland injury is infrequent and is present in about 1–2% of the cases, and in most reported cases, there is an underlining pathology within the gland. Patients can be present with neck swelling, pain, respiratory distress, and dysphagia. Patients who sustained blunt neck trauma should be assessed and stabilized according to the ATLS® principles. Injury to vital structures should be ruled out first. Although these cases are rare, physicians should consider the possibility of thyroid injury after blunt neck trauma or neck swelling is noted.