Prevalence, diagnosis and management of ectopic thyroid glands

Abstract

Ectopic thyroid tissue (ETT) is an uncommon entity that may be found anywhere along the line of the obliterated thyroglossal duct, usually from the tongue to the diaphragm. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing surgical treatment for thyroid disease between January 2000 and December 2013, seeking for ETT All patients with prior neck surgery or trauma were excluded. The clinic-pathologic features, prevalence and diagnosis of the lesions were collected and analyzed. Out of 3092 included patients, 28 ETT were identified (0.9%). The anatomical site of ETT was as follows: lateral cervical in 6 (21.4%), along the thyroglossal duct in 6 (21.4%), mediastinal in 5 (17.9%), lingual in 5 (17.9%), sublingual in 3 (10.7%), and submandibular in 3 (10.7%). Histopathology revealed 27 benign lesions and 1 (3.6%) papillary carcinoma. ETT is found in less than 1% of patients receiving thyroid surgery. Diagnosis of ETT requires clinical imaging. Surgery is a prudent choice due to the potential of malignant evolution of ETT.

Benign Ectopic Thyroid Tissue in the Neck: A Case Report of a Rare Finding

“…There are no clinical, non-pathological laboratory tests or imaging parameters that may assist in determining the benign or malignant nature of ETT. Although the USG and CT scan of the neck may describe the consistency, location, and borders of a neck mass, these tests cannot definitively provide the diagnosis without tissue biopsy [15]. FNA biopsy may be suggestive of a benign or malignant lesion, but it is frequently indeterminate.…”

“…Approaches to the treatment of cervical ETT depend on factors such as metastasis, size of the lesion, the presence or absence of the local symptoms, patient's age, thyroid gland functional status, the uncertainty of the diagnosis, and patient's comorbidities [13][14][15]. In cases of histologically normal lateral cervical involvement, the surgical excision of the mass alone is satisfactory treatment.…”

Off the beaten path: A case of mediastinal ectopic thyroid tissue

“…2 This patient was eligible to begin her treatment and will be followed by her oncological team. Most cases of ectopic thyroid tissue described have been regularly followed with serial imaging and thyroid function tests.…”

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

“…The most common types of thyroid cancer arising from an ectopic thyroid are follicular and classic variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) [44,45]. In a series described by Santangelo, one out of 28 patients undergoing thyroid surgery due to ectopic thyroid were histopathologically diagnosed with PTC [46]. However, a case of medullary thyroid cancer deriving from an ectopic thyroid was also described [47].…”

“…Surgery may also be a life-saving procedure if an ectopic thyroid presents with acute symptoms like bleeding or airway obstruction [53]. Nonetheless, thyroid ectopy is not a frequent diagnosis on surgical wards because patients with ectopic thyroid constitute less than 1% of patients undergoing thyroid surgery [46].…”