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Published on: May 12, 2023
Lithium-induced enlargement of a lingual thyroid
1Department of Surgery, Lady Hardinge Medical College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110001, India. nikhil_talwar@rediffmail.com
Abstract:
Lingual thyroid is a rare developmental anomaly. It is the result of failure of the thyroid to descend from the foramen caecum to its prelaryngeal site. Lithium is a known goitrogen, but has never been reported to cause symptomatic enlargement of the lingual thyroid. We describe a 40-year-old woman, who presented with a foreign body sensation and progressive dysphagia caused by an ectopic lingual thyroid tissue measuring 4 cm x 3 cm x 3.5 cm. She had been taking lithium for treatment of bipolar disorder and had hypothyroidism. Her symptoms were relieved after excision of the ectopic thyroid tissue.
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