Isolated Thyroid Cartilage Fracture Caused by Neck Hyperextension During Motor Vehicle Accident with Atypical Neck Pain (Case Report)
    PDF
    Cite
    Share
    Request
    Case Report
    P: 310-312
    December 2022

    Isolated Thyroid Cartilage Fracture Caused by Neck Hyperextension During Motor Vehicle Accident with Atypical Neck Pain (Case Report)

    The Bulletin of Legal Medicine 2022;27(3):310-312
    1. Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Adli Tıp Anabilim Dalı, Kırıkkale, Türkiye
    2. Gümüşhane Adli Tıp Şube Müdürlüğü, Gümüşhane, Türkiye
    No information available.
    No information available
    Received Date: 09.11.2021
    Accepted Date: 27.03.2022
    Publish Date: 01.12.2022
    PDF
    Cite
    Share
    Request

    ABSTRACT

    Traffic accidents are one of the most important traumas that cause injuries to the laryngotracheal skeletal system. These injuries can vary from simple fracture of the thyroid cartilage to cartilage slips, cartilage defects, intralaryngeal tears or laryngotracheal separation. A forty-four-yearold male, hit the another vehicle from behind with his car and was injured when the airbag hit his chest wall. In the case who described atypical neck pain, radiological fracture was detected in the right upper horn of the thyroid cartilage due to hyperextension of the neck. In forensic medicine practices, it is important to determine the nature of the injury and the medical damage it causes after the trauma. Our case warns us that the atypical complaints are due to an important medical injury such as thyroid cartilage fracture. In addition the formation of the fracture as a result of indirect trauma and hyperextension of the neck was found interesting because it is less common than fractures due to hyperflexion of the neck described in the literature and presented with radiological findings.

    Keywords: Thyroid cartilage fracture, traffic accident, atypical neck pain, hyperextension, forensic medicine

    References

    1
    Glikson E, Sagiv D, Eyal A, Wolf M, Fever AP. The anatomical evolution of the thyroid cartilage from childhood to adulthood: A computed tomography evaluation. Laryngoscope. 2017;127(10):e354-e358. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.26644
    2
    Knight B. Fatal pressure on the neck. In: Knight B, editor. Forensic Pathology. London: Arnold; 1996. p. 361-385.
    3
    Naimo P, O’Donnell C, Bassed R, Briggs C. The use of computed tomography in determining developmental changes, anomalies, and trauma of the thyroid cartilage. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2013;9:377-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-013-9457-z
    4
    Türk Ceza Kanunu’nda Tanımlanan Yaralama Suçlarının Adli Tıp Açısından Değerlendirilmesi Rehberi. Adli Tıp Derneği. 2019;8-12. https://www.atk.gov.tr/tckyaralama24-06-19.pdf
    5
    Yen PT, Lee HY, Tsai MH, Chan ST, Huang TS. Clinical analysis of external laryngeal trauma. J Laryngol Otol. 1994;108(3):221-225. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022215100126349
    6
    O’Mara W, Hebert AF. External laryngeal trauma. J La State Med Soc. 2000;152(5):218-222. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10875208/
    7
    Jewett BS, Shockley WW, Rutledge R. External laryngeal trauma analysis of 392 patients. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999;125(8):877-880. https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.125.8.877
    8
    Fuhrman GM, Stieg FH 3rd, Buerk CA. Blunt laryngeal trauma: classification and management protocol. J Trauma. 1990;30(1):87-92. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005373-199001000-00014
    9
    Schild JA, Denneny EC. Evaluation and treatment of acute larengeal fractures. Head Neck. 1989;11(6):491-496. https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.2880110603
    10
    Stanley RB Jr. Value of computed tomography in management of acute laryngeal injury. J Trauma. 1984;24:359-362. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005373-198404000-00015.
    11
    Fincancı ŞK. Trafik kazalarında ortaya çıkan adli tıp sorunları. Adli Tıp Bülteni. 1996;1:26-28.
    12
    Polat O. Adli travmatolojide trafik kazalarına genel bakış. Adli Tıp Bülteni. 1996;1:18-25.
    13
    Khalid N, Bilal M, Umer M. Non-Traumatic Laryngeal Fractures: A Systematic Review. Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;59(1):65-75. https://doi.org/10.4274/tao.2020.6093.
    14
    Ateş MS, Turhal G, Aysel A, Durusoy D, Öztürk K. A Case with Thyroid Cartilage Fracture after Sneezing. Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;58(3):197-199. https://doi.org/10.5152/tao.2020.5306.
    15
    Lin HL, Kuo LC, Chen CW, Cheng YC, Lee WC. Neck hyperflexion causing isolated thyroid cartilage fracture – a case report. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2008;26(9):1064.e1-1064.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2008.02.030
    2024 ©️ Galenos Publishing House