Cricoarytenoid arthritis in ankylosing spondylitis. A cause of acute respiratory failure and cor pulmonale.
Overview
abstract
A man with ankylosing spondylitis developed cor pulmonale and acute respiratory failure due to cricoarytenoid arthritis. He was successfully treated by endoscopic arytenoidectomy, and the surgical specimen showed ossified cartilage. Flow-volume curves documented extra-thoracic airway obstruction produced by ankylosis of the cricoarytenoid joints.