Ectopic thyroid tissue in the head and neck: a case series.
BACKGROUND
Through a review of three cases, the etiopathogenetic, clinical-diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of ectopic thyroid tissue are herein discussed to highlight the main presentations of this polymorphous disease.


METHODS
The first case involved an ectopic thyroid gland in the lingual area in a 45-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with dysphagia and midline swelling at the base of the tongue. The second case involved a 22-year-old Caucasian woman with a submandibular mass comprising ectopic thyroid tissue. The third case involved a 33-year-old Caucasian man with a typical thyroglossal duct cyst characterized by the presence of thyroid tissue upon histological analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Surgery seems to be the most appropriate treatment for patients with ectopic thyroid tissue showing clinical signs of upper airway obstruction or when the lesion shows signs of infection or malignant degeneration. When a site of ectopic thyroid tissue is the only such site in the body, removal of this tissue will usually lead to hypothyroidism that requires medical thyroid hormone replacement.
Department of Medical Oral Sciences, and Biotechnology, Section of Otolaryngology, "G, D'Annunzio" University, Chieti - Pescara, Italy. acroce@unich.it.
Croce
C
Adelchi
Pugliese
P
Mara
Laus
L
Melissa
Alessandro
A
De Stefano
Mantini
M
Cesare
D000328:Adult; D002828:Choristoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult