Lingual Thyroid in Children: A Rare Clinical Entity

Abstract

Lingual thyroid is a rare condition, with an incidence of 1:100,000. This infrequent congenital anomaly is often asymptomatic until a pathologic stress such as systemic disease or physiologic stress such as puberty causes enlargement of the ectopic tissue, leading to dysphagia, dysphonia, and dyspnea. The work-up should include routine blood work including thyroid function tests thyrotropin, thyroxine, and thyroid hormone binding ratio; iodine thyroid scintigraphy; and computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The majority of patients require surgical excision of the symptomatic mass and, in case of absence of orthotopic thyroid tissue, long-term thyroid hormone replacement.

A Rare Cause of Chronic Cough in Children: Lingual Thyroid

“…Thyroid gland ectopia has been reported in the oropharynx, infrahyoid region, larynx, mediastinum, esophagus, porta hepatis and heart [6,8].…”

“…The most common symptoms found in adults include respiratory problems, swallowing difficulties, foreign body sensation in the throat, hemorrhage and dysphonia [3,6]. Symptomatic lingual thyroids more often emerge during puberty, pregnancy, menstruation or any other stressful event [7].…”

Thyroglossal Cyst and Midline Ectopic Thyroid - A Lesson to Learn

“…Complications in ectopic thyroid are dysphagia, dysphonia, dyspnoea and haemorrhage. Large masses can present with airway obstruction and stridor in children [7,8]. Sleep apnoea and respiratory obstruction in adult patients with lingual thyroid have been reported [9].…”

Ektopia tarczycy — wyzwania diagnostyczne i terapeutyczne przed wprowadzeniem przesiewowego badania TSH noworodków i po nim

“…Such symptoms might not be present unless the pathological or physiological situation leading to an increase in the demand for thyroid hormones occurs, i.e. severe disease, pubertal period, pregnancy [36], or lithium therapy, which leads to an increase in TSH concentration and stimulates the thyroid for enlargement [37,38]. A case of a male patient with an ectopic thyroid causing sleep apnoea was also described.…”