Presentation
Midline swelling and a small painless palpable neck mass on physical exam.
Patient Data
Age: 30 years
Gender: Female
From the case:
Ectopic thyroid
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Info
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The right lobe of the thyroid is not seen. In addition, a 15×8mm well-defined oval-shaped uniformly enhancing mass is noted in the pretracheal midline neck.
Case Discussion
Incomplete embryonal migration of the thyroid tissue from the median plate of the floor of the pharyngeal gut to its usual site causes ectopic thyroid, which may be seen in the lingual (most common), sublingual, prelaryngeal, and rarely mediastinal or intratracheal regions.
Occasionally, thyroid tissue may also be present in the normal thyroid bed.