Ectopic lingual thyroid autotransplantation

Cryopreserved Thyroid Tissue Autotransplant in Pediatric Age Patients: A Feasibility Study and Literature Review

“…The studies entailed patients affected by benign thyroid disease. Specifically, thirteen studies focused on the treatment of lingual ectopy [ 2 , 3 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]; six studies were about patients with multinodular goiter [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 62 , 70 ]; six studies were carried out on patients with Graves’ disease [ 16 , 17 , 54 , 56 , 63 , 64 , 69 ]; a study on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis [ 54 , 69 ]; two studies on nodular goiter [ 54 , 56 , 69 ]; a study on unspecified postsurgical hypothyroidism [ 15 ] and a study on patients with thyrotoxicosis [ 65 ]. The heterograft sites are known in 23 out of 25 cases.…”

“…The heterograft sites are known in 23 out of 25 cases. The trunk was the most involved site [ 2 , 3 , 47 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 58 , 59 , 62 ], with prevalence of the rectus abdominalis, followed by the neck [ 48 , 50 , 54 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 63 , 64 , 69 ], especially the sternocleidomastoid. A less preferred site was the lower limb muscles [ 52 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 70 ], and the upper limb was chosen only once [ 16 ].…”

“…A less preferred site was the lower limb muscles [ 52 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 70 ], and the upper limb was chosen only once [ 16 ]. Immediate autotransplantation was performed in nearly all the studies (22 out of 25—88%) [ 2 , 3 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 69 ], while post-cryopreservation autotransplantation was performed in 3 studies (12%) [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The weight of transplanted thyroid was reported in 10 studies with an average of 7 g (range 0.5–20 g) [ 16 , 46 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 69 ].…”

“…The autotransplant was performed at the level of the rectus abdominis muscle and after five months, the patient returned to being euthyroid and maintained that state also at the follow up visits over the following 37 years [ 3 ]. This technique for the treatment of lingual ectopy was then applied in many other studies [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 62 , 70 ].…”

“…In 1962, Turcot performed the autotransplant on two pediatric patients, recording radioiodine uptake two months later, but insufficient thyroid activity, for which he resorted to replacement therapy [ 59 ]. In 1968, Dayal et al positioned the autograft in the capsule of the submandibular gland and in the neck of a 20-year-old patient, with positive results one year later [ 57 ]. In 1970, Steinwald et al reported a 9-year-old patient to be already clinically euthyroid 3 months after the operation; at 7 months, a biopsy was performed, and the histology confirmed the secretory activity of the transplant [ 49 ].…”