Diagnosis and treatment of ectopic thyroid

Objective To explore the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of ectopic thyroid lesions. Methods Retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 15 patients with ectopic thyroid tissue from Oct. 2002 to Jun 2017 in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University and Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, and figured out the clinical features, therapy and prognosis. Among the 15 patients, there were 2 males and 13 females. There were 8 cases of lingual ectopic thyroid, 3 cases of endotracheal ectopic thyroid, 3 cases of thyroglossal duct ectopic thyroid, and 1 case of retropharyngeal ectopic thyroid. Follow-up were conducted during outpatient review or by telephone. Results Twelve patients received surgical treatment and the lesions were pathologically confirmed as ectopic thyroid tissue, including 2 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma. These patients were followed up for 1 to 6 years. Their main symptoms were alleviated and the malignant patients had no recurrence or metastasis. Three patients with lingual ectopic thyroid selected observation and follow-up without any treatment and no progress was observed. Conclusions The incidence of ectopic thyroid is low and the forms are diverse. The clinician should take the possibility of ectopic thyroid and its associated pathological changes into account to avoid the complete removal of the only functional thyroid tissue without preparation. Key words: Thyroid dysgenesis; Lingual thyroid; Diagnosis; Treatment outcome