Autopsy and Case Reports
https://autopsyandcasereports.org/article/doi/10.4322/acr.2024.506
Autopsy and Case Reports
Clinical Case Report and Review

Traveling together! - Intrathymic thyroid tissue in a patient with Graves’ disease

Hugh Ellis McCormick; Sidrah Khawar; Ameer Hamza

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Abstract

Ectopic thyroid tissue is rare in the general population and more prevalent in people who have existing thyroid disease. Common anatomical sites of ectopic thyroid tissue include the lateral cervical region, thyroglossal duct, mediastinum, lingual, sublingual, and submandibular region. Intrathymic ectopic thyroid tissue is exceedingly rare. The purpose of this report is to describe one such case in a 52-year-old African-American female with Graves’ disease. The patient presented for a physical exam and follow-up. During the exam, an incidental mediastinal mass was discovered, which was evaluated by imaging studies and subsequently was resected. Histologically, the mass was composed of variable-sized thyroid follicles lined by a monolayer of cuboidal to columnar follicular epithelial cells and filled with eosinophilic colloid, surrounded by a rim of unremarkable compressed thymic tissue.

Keywords

Ectopic thyroid, Intrathymic thyroid, Thoracic intrathymic thyroid, Benign thymic nodule, Mediastinal mass, Graves’ disease

References

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Submitted date:
11/01/2023

Accepted date:
05/14/2024

Publication date:
07/30/2024

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