Images in Clinical Medicine
Lingual Thyroid
N Engl J Med 2008; 358:1712April 17, 2008
- Article
A healthy girl, 4 1/2 years of age, was brought to our clinic for an assessment of her growth. A general physical examination was normal except for an incidental mass noted at the base of her tongue (arrow). Her height and weight were at the 25th percentile for age and sex. Hypothyroidism was diagnosed on the basis of biochemical findings: a serum thyrotropin level of 55 mU per liter (normal range, 0.7 to 6.4) and a thyroxine level of 3.5 μg per deciliter (45 nmol per liter) (normal range, 6.0 to 14.2 [77 to 183]). A [99 mTc]sodium pertechnetate scan showed increased 99 mTc uptake at the base of the tongue, which was consistent with the presence of a lingual thyroid; there was no uptake over the neck. Levothyroxine was prescribed to treat the hypothyroidism. After treatment, euthyroidism was achieved without a marked change in the size of the lingual thyroid. Early in embryonic development, the thyroid gland forms at the base of the tongue, and subsequently descends into the neck, typically by the 7th week. The thyroglossal duct temporarily connects the descending thyroid gland to the base of the tongue. If descent does not occur, a lingual thyroid may result.
Mohammad Hassan Moaddab, M.D.
Mansour Siavash, M.D.
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
siavash@med.mui. ac. ir - Citing Articles (1)
Citing Articles
1
G. Noussios, P. Anagnostis, D. G. Goulis, D. Lappas, K. Natsis. (2011) Ectopic thyroid tissue: anatomical, clinical, and surgical implications of a rare entity. European Journal of Endocrinology 165:3, 375-382
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