Description
The specimen shows the trachea and thyroid gland. Immediately below the thyroid gland there is
a 3 cm stenotic area in the trachea where the lumen is reduced to less than 1 cm in diameter.
History
At the age of 35 this man was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which he sustained
chest and head injuries. The skeleton in the mid-area of the face was fractured and there were
fractures of the ribs. Following tracheostomy he developed tracheal stenosis; this was excised but
recurred and in subsequent years was dilated at intervals. He had a long history of asthma and
chronic bronchitis and at the age of 46 succumbed to these conditions, no doubt complicated by his
tracheal stenosis.