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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;133(8):837-838.

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Diagnosis: Lingual thyroid

Lingual thyroid, or thyroid ectopia, is a rare anomaly, with a female predominance and a reported incidence ranging from 1:3000 and 1:100 000 (usual age at onset, 6-74 years).¹ It results from the failure of the thyroglossal duct to migrate from the foramen cecum of the tongue to the normal prelaryngeal location.^2-3 The normal descent of the thyroid gland occurs between weeks 3 and 7 of embryogenesis.⁴ Maldescent of the thyroid gland most commonly results when the ectopic thyroid tissue is located at the base of the tongue in the area of the foramen cecum, between the circumvallate papillae and the epiglottis.⁵ While 90% of thyroid ectopia involves the tongue, the presence of ectopic thyroid tissue has also been reported along the thyroglossal tract of descent, involving the esophagus, mediastinum, heart, diaphragm, and peripharyngeal sites.⁶ This lingual thyroid tissue is the only functioning gland in more than 70% of individuals. Approximately . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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