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Updated: May 25, 2026

Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Dysphonia associated with lingual thyroid gland and hypothyroidism: improvement after lingual thyroidectomy
Diana Orbelo1, Dale C Ekbom, Dana M Thompson
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Voice Restoration Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Abstract:
We present a unique and medically complex case of improved voice after lingual thyroidectomy. A 10-year-old boy with multifactorial dysphonia presented with bilateral vocal fold lesions and sulci in the context of hypothyroidism as a result of a congenital lingual thyroid gland. Despite hormone replacement, medical treatment for asthma, allergy, cough, and possible reflux, as well as voice therapy, the dysphonia persisted. Significant improvement in both subjective and objective voice measures was achieved after surgical removal of the lingual thyroid gland, which allowed for maintenance of a consistent euthyroid state. Lingual thyroidectomy is typically reserved for cases of bleeding and dysphagia. This case supports dysphonia as a possible additional indication for lingual thyroidectomy.
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