Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Thyroid ectopia is a rare condition resulting from an anomaly in the development or migration of the gland. We present two cases of thyroid ectopia.

Case Reports: Case 1: A 44-year-old woman underwent orbital CT scan due to chronic right eye tearing, revealing a lesion at the base of the tongue. Thyroid palpation was negative, and oropharynx examination was unremarkable. Tongue MRI showed a 43 × 37 mm lesion at the base with heterogeneous enhancement after gadolinium injection and global thyroid atrophy. Scintigraphy revealed sublingual ectopic thyroid. Hormonal exploration was normal, and due to its asymptomatic and uncomplicated nature, surveillance was recommended. Case 2: A 40-year-old patient presented with dysphonia and a non-palpable thyroid. Nasofibroscopy revealed a tongue base mass compressing the vocal cords, leading to acute respiratory distress during the procedure, requiring emergency tracheotomy. Surgical excision of the mass was performed, and histopathological examination revealed thyroid parenchyma within fibromuscular tissue, including a focus of thyroid vesicular carcinoma. Case 3: A 61-year-old patient complained of neck discomfort with a grade 1 goiter on clinical examination. Cervicothoracic CT scan showed a heterogeneous goiter extending to the anterior mediastinum, along with an anterior mediastinal mass suggestive of thyroid heterotopia. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and resection of the mediastinal mass. Histopathological examination revealed a dystrophic thyroid nodule within the anterior mediastinal mass.

Discussion: Thyroid ectopia may be asymptomatic or present with hypothyroidism or compression symptoms. Malignancy risk is rare. In asymptomatic cases, biological and morphological surveillance is recommended, while surgery is indicated for compression or suspected malignancy.