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Thyroglossal duct cyst: is thyroid scanning necessary in the preoperative evaluation?
A Kessler1, E Eviatar, J Lapinsky
1Department of Otolaryngology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin [affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University], Israel. fredricag@asaf.health.gov.il
Background:
Evaluation of thyroglossal duct cysts before surgical excision traditionally includes hormonal evaluation, ultrasound of the neck, and thyroid scanning.
Objective:
To evaluate the need for thyroid scanning in cases of thyroglossal duct cysts scheduled for operation.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review of 100 cases of thyroglossal duct cyst between 1988 and 1995 was carried out.
Results:
No cases of ectopic thyroid were detected.
Conclusion:
Our goal was to document the presence of normal thyroid tissue by non-invasive tools such as ultrasound, rather than to rule out the existence of ectopic thyroid tissue by radionuclide scanning. Radionuclide scanning is justified in cases of lingual thyroid and where a normally located thyroid gland cannot be detected.