LINGUAL
THYROID
When the
entire thyroid gland fails to descent to its normal position in the neck and its
descent is completely arrested at the level of the base of the tongue, a lingual
thyroid (LT) results. LT is the most
common (90 %) type of ectopic thyroid. In most patients with ectopic thyroid (~
70 %) no thyroid tissue is found in the normal position and LT represents the
only functioning thyroid tissue. Hypothyroidism is not uncommon in these cases
(~ 30 %). Clinical manifestations (such as dysphagia, dysphonia, dyspnea, hemoptysis,
pain, feeling of fullness in the throat, obstructive sleep apnea, etc.) in
patients with LT may be observed, often following upper respiratory tract infections
(due to associated lymphoid tissue), during pregnancy or puberty. Carcinoma arising
within a LT is very rare with only about 30 cases reported in the literature.
Σχόλια
Δημοσίευση σχολίου