Exophthalmos in a Woman with Lingual, Subhyoid and Lateral-Lobe Thyroid Glands

Abstract

A case of exophthalmos, and ectopic hyperplastic thyroid tissue occurring at the base of the tongue, in the subhyoid area and in the lateral thyroid lobe is presented. The frequent misdiagnosis of ectopic thyroid tissue as a thyroglossal-duct cyst should make the surgeon cautiously evaluate each case individually. Selective use of scintigrams with I131 is helpful in the preoperative diagnosis to prevent inadvertent excision of a patient's only remaining thyroid tissue.