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Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy
Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 4/2004

01-08-2004 | Anatomic Variations

Parapharyngeal ectopic thyroid: the possible persistence of the lateral thyroid anlage. Clinical case report

Authors: A. Soscia, G. Guerra, M.-P. Cinelli, D. Testa, V. Galli, V. Macchi, R. De Caro

Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy | Issue 4/2004

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Abstract

The accessory midline thyroids are ascribed to an arrest of migration of the median thyroid anlage, while the lateral ectopic thyroids have induced a hypothesis of the presence of lateral thyroid anlage. We report the case of a 67-year-old man who presented with dyspnea and dysphagia of 1 year’s duration. The clinical examination and radiological investigations (CT and MRI) showed a solid heterogeneous mass in the right parapharyngeal space. The fine needle aspiration biopsy was inconsistent. The mass (3×2.5×3.5 cm) was excised via a transoral approach. It was capsulated with an elastic consistency and showed a nodular appearance on the cut surface. Histological examination revealed thyroid tissue with the characteristics of colloid goiter. The postoperative 99mTc-pertechnetate scan showed the normal thyroid gland located in the usual pretracheal site. The absence of malignancy, at histology and immunohistochemistry, allows a metastatic nature of the mass to be ruled out, and accounts for a supernumerary thyroid. The occurrence of a parapharyngeal thyroid, although extremely rare, is worth bearing in mind as a possible ectopic location. This case also supports the hypothesized role of the lateral thyroid anlage in man deriving from the ultimo-branchial body in the morphogenesis of the lateral lobe of the thyroid gland.
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Metadata
Title
Parapharyngeal ectopic thyroid: the possible persistence of the lateral thyroid anlage. Clinical case report
Authors
A. Soscia
G. Guerra
M.-P. Cinelli
D. Testa
V. Galli
V. Macchi
R. De Caro
Publication date
01-08-2004
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy / Issue 4/2004
Print ISSN: 0930-1038
Electronic ISSN: 1279-8517
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-004-0241-3

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