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. 2021 Jan-Mar;36(1):97-99.
doi: 10.4103/ijnm.IJNM_43_20. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Usefulness of Hybrid Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/ Computed Tomography in a Case of Ectopic Thyroid Tissue in the Thyroglossal Duct Remnant

Enrico Calandri  1 , Luca Filippi  2 , Francesco Alessandro  3 , Ilaria Aretano  4 , Mirco Pultrone  1
Affiliations

Usefulness of Hybrid Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/ Computed Tomography in a Case of Ectopic Thyroid Tissue in the Thyroglossal Duct Remnant

Enrico Calandri et al. Indian J Nucl Med. 2021 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Here, we report a case of a 54-year-old woman affected by thyrotoxicosis, with scintigraphic evidence of a diffuse hyperfunctioning goiter and a large ectopic thyroid tissue in the thyroglossal duct remnant. The latter was apparently more active than the two lobes at 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy, mimicking a condition of preexisting increased sensitivity to thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulation. On the other hand, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography has proven to be a very useful tool in demonstrating this activity to be similar to the thyroid lobes and in defining extension and anatomical relationships of the mass.

Keywords: Ectopic tissue; Graves' disease; single-photon computed tomography/computed tomography; thyroglossal duct remnant; thyroid scintigraphy.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anterior zoom image of thyroid performed 15 min after intravenous injection of 99mTc-pertechnetate reveals a diffuse homogeneous increase of tracer uptake in an enlarged thyroid gland; a further ellipsoid area of highly increased uptake located just right to the midline, slightly overlapping the two lobes, is evident
Figure 2
Figure 2
Computed tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography in sagittal (a and b) and in axial views (c and d) show an apparently hyperactive solid tissue developing caudally from the hyoid region and clearly separated from the thyroid lobes
Figure 3
Figure 3
Axial fused single-photon emission computed tomography/ computed tomography slices of the neck demonstrate a similar activity between ectopic tissue and thyroid lobes; this finding excludes the rare condition of preexisting increased sensitivity to thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulation suggested by the planar image
Figure 4
Figure 4
A coronal single-photon emission computed tomography/ computed tomography view showing both fused (c and d) and corresponding computed tomography (a and b) slices was considered useful for demonstrating the different anatomical location of the thyroglossal duct remnant and the thyroid gland, in spite of their equal grade of tracer uptake
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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