title: Ectopic thyroid mass in the left lateral neck and anterior mediastinum: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ectopic thyroid is characterized by the presence of thyroid tissue in a site other than in its usual pretracheal region. It is a rare condition among the thyroid diseases. Dural ectopic thyroid present in the cervical and anterior mediastinal has not been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 45-year-old Chinese woman presented with a nonfunctional ectopic thyroid located both in the cervical and anterior mediastinum. The ectopic thyroid was removed under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery using a transverse neck incision and her postoperative period has been uneventful thus far.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ectopic thyroid is a rare condition among the thyroid diseases, and its location in the anterior mediastinum is even more uncommon. Less than 15 cases have been reported in the last four decades. This is the first case of ectopic thyroid to appear in both the cervical and anterior mediastinum at same time. Masses in the anterior mediastinal are usually thymoma, lymphoma, pheochromocytoma and germ cell tumors. Ectopic thyroid in this area is quite rare so this case enhances our understanding of the diagnosis of mediastinal masses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Cancer Hospital of Zhejiang Province, No, 38, Guangji Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, PR China. WJL200408@163.com.
authors.forename: Jiangling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D050033:Thyroid Dysgenesis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed