Intrathyroidal thymic tissue surrounding an intrathyroidal parathyroid gland, the cause of a solitary thyroid nodule in a 6-year-old boy.
Ectopic intrathyroidal thymic tissue is a rare occurrence; parathyroid glands sometimes occur in an intrathyroidal location, but this is uncommon. We report a 6-year-old boy who was noted to have a solitary thyroid nodule on ultrasound. A hemithyroidectomy was performed, and histological investigation revealed that the nodule consisted of ectopic intrathyroidal thymus tissue surrounding a well-defined parathyroidal gland. This condition is an exceedingly rare cause of a thyroid nodule, but intrathyroidal thymic tissue should probably be included in the differential diagnosis of solitary thyroid nodules.
Lignitz
Sarah
S
Department of Pediatrics, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical School, Mainz, Germany.
Musholt
Thomas J
TJ
Kreft
Andreas
A
Engel
Roger
R
Brzezinska
Rita
R
Pohlenz
Joachim
J
D002648:Child; D002828:Choristoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010280:Parathyroid Glands; D013950:Thymus Gland; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D014463:Ultrasonography