Multiple Thyroid Ectopia with a Normally Located Tyroid: Can It be a Hereditary Disorder?

Abstract

Heterotopic thyroid tissue - also called as ectopic thyroid - is a rare developmental anomaly. Above all, multiple ectopic thyroid glands including an intrapulmunary one are extremely rare. A fourty seven years old female patient has been admitted to our clinic with a 12 mm pulmonary nodule detected in the lower lob anterobasal segment of her right lung while she was under preoperative investigation for recurrent multinodular goiter (MNG). We have learned that she had undergone thyroidectomy 31 years ago and MNG has occurred in the residual gland. Her sister had a history of operations both for orthotopic MNG and multiple ectopic thyroid; and also her mother had MNG but has not been investigated in terms of an ectopic gland. In the operative exploration, we have found the mentioned mass at the inferior part of middle lobe and performed a wedge resection. Pathologic examination of the nodule revealed a 1 cm gray-yellow colored well circumscribed thyroid tissue with the characteristics of colloid goiter. It was positive for Thyroid transcription factor -1 and Thyroglobulin in immunohystochemical staining. Interestingly, a sublingual ectopic thyroid tissue was detected by Tc99 scintigraphy at the postoperative period. Such a case sharing a similar medical history with her sibling in terms of thyroid pathology brings to mind that the condition might have a hereditary aspect.