A large lingual thyroid extending to the epiglottis

Abstract

SUMMARYA 22-year-old man presented to our department with a mass on the base of his tongue. He had a cavernous voice causing a moderate speech disorder, and he had some difficulty in swallowing. He had severe problems with sleep, associated with apnoea. In a fibreoptic laryngoscopic examination, a large 4×5 cm vascular mass was detected extending from the base of the patient's tongue to his epiglottis. It covered the epiglottis. Thyroid scintigraphy showed only thyroid tissue on the base of the tongue. Surgery was initiated transorally under the guidance of a rigid endoscope, but as the mass continued extended to the epiglottis, a transhyoid approach was taken. At a 3-month follow-up, the patient was symptom free. Electrocautery-assisted resection under the guidance of a rigid endoscope can reliably be used in surgery of a lingual thyroid. However, a transhyoid approach provides a better view and also helps in achieving haemostasis. BACKGROUND

Is Transoral Robotic Surgery the Best Surgical Treatment for Lingual Thyroid? A Case-Report and Literature Review

“…Of the 373 peer-reviewed articles found, 96 were assessed for eligibility. Finally, 40 reports provided adequate information on surgical management and outcomes for patients with LT 7,12,15,16,18 -51 (Figure 3). The majority were case reports and 6 were case series with a maximum of 6 patients, for a total of 61 patients, including our case.…”