Zuckerkandl tubercle

Last revised by Mostafa El-Feky ◉ on 17 Sep 2020

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Mudgal P, El-Feky M, Deng F, et al. Zuckerkandl tubercle. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 03 Oct 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-27555

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-27555

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/27555

rID:

27555

Article created:

7 Feb 2014, Prashant Mudgal

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Prashant Mudgal had no recorded disclosures.

View Prashant Mudgal's current disclosures

Last revised:

17 Sep 2020, Mostafa El-Feky ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Mostafa El-Feky had no recorded disclosures.

View Mostafa El-Feky's current disclosures

Revisions:

24 times, by 7 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Head & Neck

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

pm, variant, thyroid

Synonyms:

Zuckerkandl's tubercle
Tubercle of Zuckerkandl
Processus posterior glandulae thyreoidea
Posterior horn of the thyroid

Zuckerkandl tubercles are the projections of normal thyroid tissue from the posterior or posteromedial margin of the thyroid gland that extend posterior to the tracheoesophageal groove. They are present in most patients and occur more commonly on the right and in the longitudinal center 50% of the lobe ^1,2.

The tubercle is an important surgical landmark as the recurrent laryngeal nerve passes immediately medial to it ³.

When it has a pedunculated or nodular appearance, sometimes due to the lateral impression of the common carotid artery, the tubercle can be mistaken for a thyroid nodule, enlarged parathyroid, or lymph node ¹. Recognizing this finding as a normal variant is important for avoiding unnecessary concern. However, it should be noted that disease (e.g. thyroid cancer) can still occur within this structure.