RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Repair of displaced thyroid cartilage fracture using miniplate osteosynthesis
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e226677
DO 10.1136/bcr-2018-226677
VO 11
IS 1
A1 Bassel Hallak
A1 Sonia Von Wihl
A1 Franciscus Boselie
A1 Salim Bouayed
YR 2018
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/11/1/e226677.abstract
AB Acute laryngeal trauma is estimated to occur in approximately one patient per 14 500 to 42 500 emergency room admissions. If the larynx is injured, its vital functions are affected and can be threatened in case of severe injury. Soft cartilage offers no protective advantage, which is the reason why young as well as older individuals are at risk of thyroid cartilage fracture. Experimentation on cadaver larynx has demonstrated that virtually all laryngeal fractures are longitudinally oriented. Furthermore, muscular pull can contribute to a misalignment of the fractures. As stated by Bent and Porubsky, a fracture is considered severely rather than moderately displaced, if it is freely mobile on physical examination, has more than two fracture lines or demonstrates a displacement greater than the width of the thyroid cartilage on CT imaging. We present two cases of severely displaced thyroid cartilage fracture treated in our department by open reduction and internal fixation using miniplates. Functional and radiological outcomes were excellent.