Laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal ectopic thyroid tissue.
A 43-year-old otherwise healthy woman was found to have a retroperitoneal mass during a routine medical examination and was referred for further evaluation. Abdominal CT scan showed a well-delineated, low-density area that exhibited heterogeneous contrast enhancement. The area measured about 20 mm in size and was to the left of the aorta at the level of the inferior mesenteric artery. MRI showed a mass with heterogeneous hypointensity on T1-weighted images and heterogeneous hyperintensity on T2-weighted images. PET-CT scan showed slightly increased18F-fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation within the mass. Laparoscopic resection was performed. A smooth, brownish mass was seen in the retroperitoneum and was resected with minimal blood loss. Histopathological examination showed a nodular mass measuring 40 × 26 × 20 mm that was composed solely of ectopic thyroid tissue. This case shows the exceptional development of ectopic thyroid in the infradiaphragmatic retroperitoneum and demonstrates the usefulness of laparoscopy for resecting such masses.
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Sawako
S
Tamaki
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Yasuyuki
Y
Miyakura
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Soutoku
S
Someya
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Hideki
H
Ishikawa
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Nao
N
Kakizawa
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Fumi
F
Hasegawa
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Hiroyuki
H
Tanaka
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Rina
R
Kikugawa
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Shingo
S
Tsujinaka
Departments of Pathology, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Akira
A
Tanaka
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Alan Kawarai
AK
Lefor
Departments of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Toshiki
T
Rikiyama
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D050033:Thyroid Dysgenesis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Ectopic thyroid; laparoscopic surgery; retroperitoneal tumor