A Study of the Variations in the Morphology of the Thyroid Gland and Its Surgical Correlations

Abstract

Being a highly vascular and one of the essential endocrine glands, the knowledge of the variations in the morphology of the thyroid gland stands an important role with respect to their identification, isolation or preservation, and prevention of any untoward complication during the surgeries around the neck region, thus increasing the chances of favourable surgical outcome. Aim:The aim of the present study was to identify the frequent variants in the structure of the thyroid gland, and to compare the same with the work of other authors. Materials and Methods:The present study was conducted on total 86 thyroid glands with morphological variations, out of which 42 were of males and 44 were of females. These were obtained during routine dissection of the neck in the adult human cadavers aged above 50 years. Results:The most common variation in the present study was the presence of pyramidal lobe (50% in males and 65.9% in females), followed by the levator glandulae thyroidae (45.2% in males and 52.3% in females), absence of the isthmus (7.1% in males and 20.5% in females), accessory thyroid tissue (2.4% in males and 2.8% in females), and the least common was presence of groove in the thyroid tissue (0% in males and 2.8% in females). There were also combination of variants in some thyroids. Conclusion:The study emphasizes on the common anatomical variations in the thyroid gland morphology and their surgical correlations.