A case of pediatric ectopic thyroid in lateral lymph nodes

Abstract

On average, ectopic thyroids are positioned in the embryotic decent path that emerges as a lingual thyroid or a thyroglossal duct cyst. It is uncommon for ectopic thyroids to be located in the lateral neck, which only represents 1%-3% of all cases. Any ectopic thyroids that emerge in the posterior lateral neck in pediatric patients should be regarded as an extremely unique case. We report a 13-year-old boy with ectopic thyroid tissue in the cervical lymph nodes with orthotopic euthyroid thyroid. The masses were located on the left posterior triangle area, which were confirmed as histologic benign thyroid tissue without any malignancy in the head and neck. Authors suggest that this case supports the benign lymphatic transport theory of lateral ectopic thyroid.