An ECTOPIC THYROID is a form of THYROID dysgenesis in which an entire or parts of the THYROID gland may be located in another part of the body than what is the usual place. The most frequent location is the base of tongue. Although most cases are asymptomatic, symptoms related to tumor size and its relationship with surrounding tissues, hormonal dysfunction and seldom malignancy may also occur. Any disease affecting the THYROID gland may involve the ECTOPIC THYROID, including malignancy.

ECTOPIC THYROID tissue (ETT) is a rare entity and a challenging differential diagnosis. This is a report of a case of a mediastinal mass that was found to be an ECTOPIC mediastinal THYROID tissue, in a 77-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital for breast cancer management. The mediastinal mass was identified in the postsurgical computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and was suspected as mediastinal lymph node metastasis. A CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic punch biopsy (CT-TPB) proved to be an adequate diagnostic tool to exclude malignancy and provide a definite diagnosis of the mediastinal mass. We find that CT-guided punch biopsy as a useful diagnostic alternative enabling histopathological specimens to be obtained from mediastinal masses and lymph nodes suspected of malignancy.

The ECTOPIC THYROID gland is a rare entity which is mostly found along the line of descent of the THYROID gland. Most of the patients present with midline swelling and usually seek medical attention. Dual ECTOPIC THYROID gland is even rarer. The clinical examination and different imaging modalities establish its diagnosis. Radionuclide studies are highly sensitive and specific in demonstrating the functional tissues in patients with ECTOPIC THYROID, thereby guiding further management. The authors reported a case of ECTOPIC THYROID gland in a girl with midline neck swelling initially, subsequently lost to follow-up. She again presented with enlarged swelling after a period of three years with dual ECTOPIC THYROID in the neck region on THYROID scan. THYROID scintigraphy demonstrated that progression in the size of ECTOPIC glands was due to neglect in treatment.

ECTOPIC THYROID tissue results from abnormal embryologic development and migration of the THYROID gland. True malignant transformation in ECTOPIC THYROID tissue is extremely rare and is always diagnosed after surgical excision of the lesion by pathology examinations. There are well-documented cases of ECTOPIC THYROID cancer while primary tumoral lesion occurs in the orthotopic THYROID, but only rare cases of ECTOPIC PTC without any evidence of occult THYROID cancer in the orthotopic THYROID or cervical lymph nodes have been reported. We report on a 39 year old woman who was operated for a mediastinal mass. The initial diagnosis was a malignant thymic lesion, which was later confirmed to be a papillary THYROID carcinoma. Consequently, total THYROIDectomy was performed and pathology report showed normal THYROID tissue with no evidence of any neoplastic involvement. Until now, only one similar case has been reported.

Introduction: To analyze the clinical features, diagnosis, management and clinical outcomes in the patients with ECTOPIC THYROID in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study which included eight cases of ECTOPIC THYROID presented in the outpatient clinic. Their medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation, imaging modalities used, biochemical tests and outcomes of the management was analyzed. Results: Total eight patients were included in the study, of which five were females and three were males, within the age range of 6-44 years. Painless neck swelling was the predominant complaint, which was observed in the seven (87. 50%) patients. Total 6 (75%) patients had normal THYROID function test and 2 (25%) patients had features of hypoTHYROIDism. Three patients underwent surgery and three patients needed hormonal replacement. Follow-up was advised for three patients. Post-treatment follow-up of all the patients was conducted for 24 months and no significant progression/recurrence/malignant transformation of the disease was seen in any of the patients. Conclusion: Being a rare disorder, timely diagnosis and management is important to avoid complications and for better clinical outcomes.

THYROID ectopia is a dysgenesis of THYROID gland and Lingual position represents the most frequent ECTOPIC location accounting up to 90% of ECTOPIC cases. HypoTHYROIDism is commonly present because of absence of a normal THYROID gland in most instances. Primary hypoTHYROIDism in juvenile population generally leads to retardation of linear growth and delay or even arrested puberty. We present a 20 years old female with typical and profound presentation of hypoTHYROIDism due to lingual THYROID.