PMC2784356_01
Acute generalized thyroid swelling that (a) developed shortly after a subclavian vein catheterization attempt and (b) spontaneously resolved after a few hours.
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F1
Palpation revealed a diffuse swollen thyroid gland without evidence of bleeding or crepitations, which was confirmed by ultrasound (Figure 1a). Thyroid hormone levels remained in the normal range and the swelling spontaneously resolved within 4 hours (Figure 1b).
Computed tomography imaging of the neck. (a) Transverse and (b) reconstructed coronal computed tomography images of the thyroid gland showing the anatomical relationship between the enlarged thyroid and the puncture trajectory for subclavian vein catheterization. This suggests that inadvertent puncture of the thyroid gland could have occurred during subclavian vein catheterization.
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F2
However, the thyroid gland of our patient was enlarged, demonstrated by computed tomography imaging of the neck (Figure 2), which in combination with a too cephalad needle direction may have contributed to an advertent needle pass into the thyroid gland.