Ectopic thyroid - a case series

Introduction and aim: Thyroid dysgenesis refers to conditions which are related to defects in the thyroid organogenesis, which present as absent, ectopically located or reduced glandular tissue. We report our experience on ectopic thyroid and its diagnosis and management in our institution over the past five years. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of all the patients who were evaluated for pathologies in the thyroid, who underwent thyroid scintigraphy by using 99mTechnetium from January 2005 to December 2010, was done. 2 mCi of pertechnetate was given intravenously and the images were acquired after 20 minutes. The patients were imaged by using a gamma camera. Observations: A total of 134 patients underwent the study, of which 12 patients (8.95%) were found to have ectopic thyroid. Ectopic thyroid tissue was observed not only in the midline cervical region - in the lingual, suprahyoid and the subhyoid locations, but also in the submandibular region in one individual. Conclusion: In our series of observations, 8.95% of all the cases which were screened for thyroid diseases, showed ectopic thyroid tissue. Lingual thyroid was seen in 41.6% of the cases. Most of our patients responded well to hormonal therapy and did not need any surgical intervention. Long term follow up is absolutely necessary, as the prevalence of malignancies is higher in these individuals.