[Ectopic thyroid gland tissue in the liver]

Heterotopia of thyroid gland can be seen very seldom in humans. Most frequently ectopic thyroid tissue is found in the middle line of neck and chest. Ectopia of thyroid tissue caudal of the diaphragm is an exceptionally rare finding. An explanation results out of the embryology of the thyroid gland development. Reviewing the literature we could find only one case of accessory thyroid tissue in the region of the hepatic porta, it was found at autopsy. In the present case report we describe a 58-year-old woman who had an indistinct tumor in the hepatic porta which was successfully removed. Histologic findings was that of aberrant normal thyroid tissue.