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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The authors thank Mr. Gennaro Fiumefreddo, Mr. Alfredo Sales and Mr. Giuliano Carlesso for skilful technical assistance.
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Soscia, A., Guerra, G., Cinelli, MP. et al. Parapharyngeal ectopic thyroid: the possible persistence of the lateral thyroid anlage. Clinical case report. Surg Radiol Anat 26, 338–343 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-004-0241-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-004-0241-3