An unpredicted case of tracheal necrosis following thyroidectomy.

Tracheal rupture is a rare condition, and its most common cause is head and neck injury. Iatrogenic rupture is extremely rare and may be caused by several factors as intubation, tracheostomy, bronchoscopy, placement of stents, and esophagectomy 1. Non-traumatic disruption of the anterolateral fibrocartilaginous trachea is an exceptional complication following thyroidectomy with few cases reported in literature (Table I). Herein, we describe a clinical case of upper tracheal necrosis arising 15 days after uneventful total thyroidectomy and resulted in pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. Healing of tracheal rupture was obtained with conservative treatment.