Coexistence of Eutopic Thyroid Gland and Ectopic Thyroid Tissue: Rare but Not Uncommon

Ectopic thyroid tissue is very rare, but the coexistence of ectopic and eutopic thyroid glands is even more rare. The recognition of this diagnosis is important in patients who are being treated for thyrotoxicosis, but it is also crucial to exclude other associated serious disease conditions. In this article, we report three different cases that showed ectopic thyroid tissue with the coexisting presence of an eutopic thyroid gland. All three cases showed different outcomes. The recognition of this condition is of great importance because it alerts the referring physicians to this rare, yet possible occurrence and the potential pathological conditions associated with it. The first case showed how imaging could help outline even small ectopic thyroid tissue outside of the neck region even in cases where histopathological confirmation is difficult. The second case was very rare as thyroid carcinoma originated in ectopic thyroid tissue. In the last case, the initial imaging was misleading as it mimicked greatly ectopic thyroid tissue, and only detailed history and careful inspection of the images could lead to the correct interpretation of the findings.