Surgical Removal of Rheumatoid Nodule That Presented as a Thyroglossal Duct Cyst: A Case Report

Rheumatoid nodules are extraarticular complications in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This report details how a 63-year-old female patient with a history of lung and kidney cancer presented to the otolaryngology clinic with left submandibular region neck pain and a lesion that looked like a thyroglossal duct cyst on imaging. The patient also had accompanying joint pain. After the patient underwent a full workup including positron emission tomography and computed tomography scans, she underwent surgery to remove the suspected thyroglossal duct cyst via a Sistrunk procedure. Pathology indicated that it was a rheumatoid nodule. The patient was never diagnosed with RA until after removal of the nodule was done. The patient ended up being evaluated by rheumatology and has subsequently been treated for RA. This rare case highlights the importance of interdepartmental communication and assessment of all patient symptoms on examination.