[Submandibular swelling four years after total thyroidectomy].
BACKGROUND
Submandibular swelling most frequently involves the submandibular gland. It is often due to lithiasis or to tumor. Some rare cases of submandibular swelling have been reported such as submandibular localizations of thyroid lesions. Our case study concerns one of these rare occurrences.


METHODS
A 47-year-old female patient consulted for a right-sided submandibular mass progressively increasing in size during the previous 2 years. The patient had undergone a total thyroidectomy, 4 years before consulting, for a toxic multinodular goiter THAT had been treated by L-thyroxin replacement therapy per os since the surgery. TSH and LT4 levels were normal. A CT scan revealed a large tumor in the right submandibular space with heterogeneous contrast. Fine needle cytopuncture allowed observing follicular cellules suggesting thyroid origin. The cervicotomy confirmed the diagnosis of an ectopic goiter.


CONCLUSIONS
Thyroid disorders may in rare cases concern the submandibular space. A history of thyroid disorders should be taken into account for the etiological diagnosis of unusual submandibular masses in maxillo-facial surgery.
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France. Electronic address: roman.khonsari@gmail.com.
R-H
RH
Khonsari
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France.
C
C
Bertolus
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, centre hospitalier universitaire Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France.
P
P
Corre
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France.
A
A
Chaine
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France.
A
A
Guerre
Service de chirurgie générale, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
F
F
Ménégaud
Service de chirurgie maxillo-faciale et stomatologie, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France.
P
P
Goudot
D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012466:Salivary Gland Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors
Benign tumor; Chirurgie cervicale; Glande submandibulaire; Neck surgery; Submandibular gland; Thyroid; Thyroïde; Tumeur bénigne