Thyroid tumors invading the larynx and trachea.

Thyroid tumors may involve the airway. Eight patients with such invasion are reported; five with invasion of the larynx and three of the trachea. The symptoms varied: five of the eight patients had stridor and hemoptysis, one had hoarseness, and two had no symptoms at all. Endoscopic and radiologic examinations were performed in all patients including computed tomography in six. Six patients underwent total thyroidectomy and two patients, one with paraganglioma and one with hemangiopericytoma, had a hemithyroidectomy. Three patients had a total laryngectomy, one a partial laryngectomy and one a laryngofissure procedure. Tracheal resection was performed in two patients and one had laser excision of the endotracheal tumor involvement. Three patients received postoperative external irradiation. Six of the eight patients are alive with follow-up of 39 to 85 months.