2025 Volume 61 Issue 7 Pages 1024-1029
Treatment for Graves’ disease in children primarily involves medication, with few cases requiring surgical intervention. We report a case of a 5-year-old girl with Graves’ disease presenting with severe airway stenosis, managed through multidisciplinary collaboration. A 5-year-old girl was diagnosed as having trisomy 21 and cretinism at birth. At the age of 2 years, her condition progressed to Graves’ disease, and she was treated with antithyroid drugs. At 4 years and 5 months of age, she developed stridor, and imaging revealed tracheal narrowing caused by a goiter. She was referred to our department for treatment. The narrowest part of the trachea measured 2.6 mm, indicating severe stenosis and posing a significant risk of intubation difficulty in general anesthesia. After a multidisciplinary conference, it was decided to proceed with surgery under preparation for extracorporeal circulation. Intubation was successfully performed under light sedation, preserving spontaneous breathing, and subtotal thyroidectomy was completed as planned. Severe airway stenosis caused by Graves’ disease in children is rare. This case highlights the necessity of multidisciplinary collaboration for perioperative management in such complex cases.
