Unusual parapharyngeal lesion: aberrant thyroid gland

Feisal TKT, Prepageran N, Shahrizal T, Zulkiflee AB
Correspondence: Dr Mohd Zulkiflee Abu Bakar, ab_zulkiflee@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
An ectopic location of the thyroid gland usually occurs in the midline, starting anywhere from the tongue to the diaphragm. The occurrence of an ectopic thyroid gland in a non-midline site is extremely rare. We report a 32-year-old Malay woman with an aberrant thyroid gland presenting as a parapharyngeal lesion. She had a normally functioning thyroid gland. An ectopic thyroid should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses in the parapharyngeal mass.

Keywords: aberrant thyroid gland, ectopic thyroid, neck swelling, parapharyngeal lesion, thyroid gland
Singapore Med J 2008; 49(5): e137-e138