Metastatic thyroid carcinoma of the mandible mimicking an arteriovenous malformation

A case of thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the mandible is presented. Particular attention has been called to its extremely vascular nature and a recommendation has been made that all lesions of such suspected vascularity should be preoperatively studied by angiography in an effort to provide insight into the nature of the lesion as well as the exact blood supply. With this information, appropriate devascularization either by surgical ligation or intravascular embolization can be performed before biopsy and hence sudden and potentially overwhelming hemorrhage during incisional or excisional surgery can be avoided.