Asthma secondary to tracheal obstruction by parathyroid cyst

Parathyroid cysts are extremely rare in children, with only a handful of cases ever reported. The majority of parathyroid cysts are asymptomatic. Few, however, can be symptomatic presenting with hoarseness, airway compression and dysphagia. We present a case of a 13 year old male with a history right neck swelling and hoarseness for one week. He also reported a 6 month history of worsening snoring and wheezing for which he was diagnosed with asthma. A computed tomography (CT) revealed a cystic mass arising from the thyroid causing significant tracheal compression. The tracheal compression was managed by aspiration of the cyst followed by surgical excision one week later. Histopathologic examination of the surgical specimen revealed parathyroid tissue within the cyst.