Management of Ectopic Thyroid in Head and Neck: Study of 8 Cases

To analyze the clinical features, diagnosis, management and clinical outcomes in the patients with ectopic thyroid in a tertiary care hospital.

This was a retrospective study which included eight cases of ectopic thyroid presented in the outpatient clinic. Their medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation, imaging modalities used, biochemical tests and outcomes of the management was analyzed.

Total eight patients were included in the study, of which five were females and three were males, within the age range of 6 - 44 years. Painless neck swelling was the predominant complaint, which was observed in the seven (87.50%) patients. Total 6 (75%) patients had normal thyroid function test and 2 (25%) patients had features of hypothyroidism. Three patients underwent surgery and three patients needed hormonal replacement. Follow-up was advised for three patients. Post-treatment follow-up of all the patients was conducted for 24 months and no significant progression/recurrence/malignant transformation of the disease was seen in any of the patients.

Being a rare disorder, timely diagnosis and management is important to avoid complications and for better clinical outcomes.