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Thyroglossal Cyst
Aka: Thyroglossal Cyst, Thyroglossal Duct Cyst, Thyroglossal Fistula
- Epidemiology
- Incidence: 7%
- Most commonly presents in childhood
- Pathophysiology
- Residual vestigial tract from fetal development
- Tract left by descending Thyroid during Embryogenesis
- Tract courses from Tongue base to anterior neck
- Signs
- Cystic mass at midline of neck adjacent to Hyoid Bone
- Increases in size after Upper Respiratory Infection
- Mass moves upward (vertically) on:
- Swallowing
- Protruding Tongue
- Complications
- Cyst infection (follows Upper Respiratory Infection)
- Papillary carcinoma (in adults)
- Differential Diagnosis
- See Neck Masses in Children
- See Neck Masses in Adults
- Undescended lingual Thyroid (as high as 1-2%)
- Radiology: Confirms normal Thyroid separate from cyst
- Radionuclide Thyroid Scan or
- Neck Ultrasound
- Management
- Surgical excision of cyst, tract (Sistrunk Procedure)
- References
- Townsend (2001) Sabiston Surgery, Saunders, p. 546
- Ewing (1999) Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 256(3):136-8 [PubMed]
- Gupta (2001) Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 127:200-2 [PubMed]