An Ectopic Thyroid Tissue - Parapharyngeal Region: A Rare Entity - Case Report

An ectopic thyroid encompasses a rare entity due to the defective embryological development and descent of the gland originating from the primitive foregut's floor to its terminal pre-tracheal location. Its prevalence is about 1 per 100000-300000 people but actual incidence is unknown, as it is usually asymptomatic and discovered as an incidental finding and has the potential to be under diagnosed. However the non-midline location is rare. Ectopic thyroid in the retropharyngeal space is extremely rare. An ectopic thyroid must always be suspected and considered in the approach as well as in the differentiation of a mass in the parapharyngeal region. Its diagnosis is usually made with fine needle aspiration cytology with histopathological confirmation.