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Review
. 2018 Apr 4;18(1):19.
doi: 10.1186/s12893-018-0354-y.

Diagnosis and management of a mediastinal ectopic thyroid laying on the right bronchus: case report and review of literature

Alessio Metere  1 , Tiziano De Giacomo  2 , Massimo Vergine  3 , Marco Biffoni  3 , Laura Giacomelli  3
Affiliations
Review

Diagnosis and management of a mediastinal ectopic thyroid laying on the right bronchus: case report and review of literature

Alessio Metere et al. BMC Surg. .

Abstract

Background: The mediastinal ectopic thyroid is very rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cases of ectopic thyroid tissue. The differential diagnoses with other diseases such as lymphomas, thymic tumors and dermoid cysts is mandatory, in fact each one, needs different management and treatment.

Case presentation: Here, we discuss a rare case of mediastinal ectopic thyroid presenting with a paratracheal mass laying on the right bronchus without symptoms. A 63-year-old male presented with an abnormal well-defined mass along the right paratracheal side, detected by chest x-ray. The CT scan confirmed the presence of a 6 × 8 cm heterogeneously enhanced mass, located behind the superior vena cava and left brachiocephalic artery, reaching azygos vein and right bronchus, without a mass effect. Taking into account the clinical importance of a mediastinal mass, we removed it surgically, through a double surgical approach consisting in a classical transverse cervicotomy for the left thyroid lobe, followed then by a longitudinal sternal splitting to remove the mediastinal mass and complete the thyroidectomy.

Conclusions: In case of mediastinal masses, the surgical excision is recommended, presenting the double advantage to clarify the diagnosis and to treat the pathology. As demonstrated in this case, a mediastinal ectopic thyroid should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis, considering its clinical importance.

Keywords: Ectopic thyroid; Mediastinal mass; Mediastinal thyroid.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards and with the ethical standards of the ethics committee of the Sapienza University of Rome that approved the study (Id number: 40/70).

Consent for publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the participants for publication of this article and any accompanying tables/images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor of this journal.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Lateral view and b Frontal view of enhanced-CT scan of neck and chest showing the mediastinal mass (white arrow) and the mediastinal structures around
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Tridimensional contrast Enhanced-CT reconstruction (AV: azygos vein; MT: mediastinal mass; SVC: superior vena cava; AA: ascending aorta; LBV: left brachiocephalic vein)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a Intraoperative isolation of mediastinal thyroid through sternal splitting. b Cervical and mediastinal thyroid after excision
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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