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AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

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American Journal of Neuroradiology 26:970-972, April 2005
© 2005 American Society of Neuroradiology

Case Report
HEAD AND NECK

Cricoarytenoid Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Important Consideration in Aggressive Lesions of the Larynx

Joseph J. Chen^a, Barton F. Branstetter, IV^a,b and Eugene N. Myers^a,b

^a Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
^b Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Address correspondence to Barton F. Branstetter IV, MD, 200 Lothrop Street, University of Pittsburgh Hospital, Room D132, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Summary: The most frequent cause of an aggressive mass in the larynx is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Rheumatoid arthritis is known to affect the larynx but does not usually produce an aggressive mass. We present a case of rheumatoid arthritis in a 63-year-old woman who presented with acute upper airway obstruction. On CT scans, an erosive mass on the right cricoid cartilage with significant destruction of the surrounding structures was presumed to be an aggressive SCC. Surgical biopsies revealed rheumatoid arthritis of the cricoarytenoid joint. When a patient with rheumatoid arthritis presents with a mass in the larynx, cricoarytenoid rheumatoid arthritis should be ruled out even in the face of an aggressive lesion appearance at CT.

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