Ectopic thyroid tissue masquerading as a lateral neck mass: a case report

The tissue bud that ultimately becomes the thyroid gland arises initially as a midline diverticulum in the floor of the pharynx. When the median thyroid analage does not descend in normal fashion, a lingual thyroid can result. It is thought that any thyroid tissue found in the lateral aspect of the neck, including around the vascular structures of the neck, may represent metastatic deposits from well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. This is a case report of a 35 year old male presenting to the out-patient department with a swelling in the lateral aspect of the neck. The MRI report showed an enlarged level 2 lymph node in the lateral aspect of right side of the neck for which surgery was done and the specimen sent for HPE. Histopathological report gave a surprising report of thyroid tissue with normal follicular cells. But literature says that thyroid tissue lateral to the normal thyroid tissue is essentially metastatic papillary carcinoma. Only very few previous case reports showing the existence of ectopic thyroid in the lateral aspect of the neck have been documented (1,2,3). This case has been reported for its rarity.