Haemorrhagic thyroid cyst

Case contributed by Mostafa Elfeky
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Anterior neck swelling.

Patient Data

Age: 30 years
Gender: Female
ultrasound
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Right thyroid lobe expanding cystic lesion with fluid-fluid level showing echogenic lower part. It measures 4.6 cm in diameter and pushes the rest of the right lobe upwards. It exerts a mass effect in the form of moderate tracheal deviation towards the left side. It shows fluid tracking around the right thyroid lobe, suggestive of a haemorrhagic thyroid cyst with rupture.

A few benign-looking complex/cystic thyroid nodules with iso to hypoechoic solid part (TR2) are noted.

x-ray
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Deviation of tracheal air column to the left side at the level of thoracic inlet.

Case Discussion

Ultrasound features represent a haemorrhagic thyroid cyst with rupture and tracheal shift towards the left side. The patient reported a past incident of haemorrhagic thyroid cyst managed by US-guided aspiration.

Spontaneous intranodular haemorrhage of the thyroid gland is rare and mostly develops due to spontaneous haemorrhage in partially cystic thyroid nodules, leading to local mass effect upon the trachea and oesophagus.

Urgent intervention and surgery may be required to secure the airway according to the severity of symptoms at presentation.

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