1985 Volume 36 Issue 6 Pages 488-492
A 62-year-old male patient had a metastatic carcinoma of the thyroid gland from lung cancer for which he had received surgical treatment 4 years ago. The tumor lesion involved the right recurrent nerve and the trachea, resulting in a stenosis at the level of 5 cm beneath the glottis. The tumor lesion was resected together with 2nd to 5th tracheal rings, and end-to-end anastomosis was performed following suprahyoid laryngeal release. A tracheal cannula was inserted from the anastomosed portion where an anterior third of the trachea was left open. The patient had a more reliable airway than endo-tracheal intubation. Histologic examination of both the thyroid lesion and the previously-resected lung cancer revealed that both lesions were very similar. Postoperative course was uneventful, and no signs of recurrence have been detected for 27 months after the operation.
