Ectopic thyroid tissue in lateral cervical lymph nodes: a case report
Authors: Laurens Hutsebaut, Klaas Van Den Heede, Vanessa Meert, Nele Brusselaers, Sam Van Slycke
Background: Ectopic thyroid tissue is a rare condition, especially when present inside lateral cervical lymph nodes. Only two similar cases have been reported. Case Presentation: A case of ectopic thyroid tissue in the lymph nodes of the lateral neck in a 34-year-old woman is reported, leading to a challenging differential diagnosis between micropapillary thyroid cancer with skip metastases or recurrent ectopic thyroid tissue. As a definitive diagnosis could not be made based on imaging or cytology, a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy was performed in combination with a total lateral neck dissection to avoid future ectopic thyroid tissue recurrence. Conclusion: The presence of ectopic thyroid tissue in the lateral neck is rare, especially when present within the lymph nodes themselves. Important differential diagnosis with a thyroid malignancy must be made. Benign causes, such as ectopic thyroid tissue, are diagnoses by exclusion.
Keywords: Lymph Nodes; Thyroid Dysgenesis; Thyroid Neoplasms; Diagnosis, Differential; Thyroidectomy; Neck Dissection; Case Report
Authors
Klaas Van Den Heede
Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Onze-Lieve- Vrouw (OLV) Hospital Aalst, Moorselbaan, Aalst, Belgium, Department of Endocrine and Digestive Surgery, Hôpital Pitié- Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Sorbonne University, 47-83 Boulevard de l’Hôpital, Paris, France
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Nele Brusselaers
Center for Translational Microbiome Research Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska Hospital, Tomtebodavagen, Stockholm, Sweden, Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Sam Van Slycke
Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Onze-Lieve- Vrouw (OLV) Hospital Aalst, Moorselbaan, Aalst, Belgium, Department of Head and Skin, University of Ghent, Corneel Heymanslaan, Ghent, Belgium, Department of General Surgery, AZ Damiaan, Gouwelozestraat, Ostend, Belgium.
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Correspondence to:
Klaas Van Den Heede, Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Onze-Lieve- Vrouw (OLV) Hospital Aalst, Moorselbaan, Aalst, Belgium, Department of Endocrine and Digestive Surgery, Hôpital Pitié- Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Sorbonne University, 47-83 Boulevard d klaasvandenheede@hotmail.com
Publication history:
Received 13 Sep 2021
Revised 14 Oct 2021
Accepted 22 Oct 2021
Published online 09 Dec 2021
Published in print 15 Dec 2021