Tuberculosis of the thyroid gland: magnetic resonance imaging appearances

Madhusudhan KS, Seith A, Khadgawat R, Das P, Mathur S
Correspondence: Dr Ashu Seith, ashubhalla1@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis involving the thyroid gland is a rare occurrence. We report a case of cytologically-diagnosed thyroid gland tuberculosis in a 21-year-old man who presented with thyroid swelling of short duration, and describe the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearances of the lesion, which to our knowledge, has not been previously described. We also report a rare complication of abscess formation in the track of the fine needle aspiration. The intermediate signal intensity of the lesions on both T1-and T2 weighted MR images may provide a clue about tuberculosis, as clinical suspicion is low due to the rarity of the disease.

Keywords: fine needle aspiration, magnetic resonance imaging, thyroid abscess, thyroid tuberculosis, tuberculosis
Singapore Med J 2009; 50(7): e235-e238