Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma presenting as a pharyngeal mass with ball-valve type obstruction of the larynx

Abstract

Thyroid tumours can compromise the airway by extrinsic compression or invasion of the trachea or larynx and damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. In this report, the pedunculated extension of a large anaplastic thyroid carcinoma penetrated through the posterior hypopharyngeal wall causing a partial ball-valve type obstruction of the laryngeal inlet on inspiration. This unusual pattern of invasion has not been reported previously.