Ectopic thyroid tissue in the head and neck

A review has been performed of thyroid ectopia seen during a 10 year period. There were five cases of total ectopia; three of these were lingual thyroids, one situated in the perihyoid region had been clinically diagnosed as a thyroglossal cyst, while the fifth presented as a tumor in the lateral neck. In the same period 41 thyroglossal cysts were removed. None of these showed uptake on technetium scintigraphy. Thyroid tissue was present in the cyst walls in 41% of cases. Scintigraphy should be performed routinely if the clinical picture is at all compatible with thyroid ectopia.