Lingual thyroid with absent thyroid gland in neck

<p class="abstract">Lingual thyroid is defined as an ectopic thyroid gland tissue located in the midline of the tongue base. Patients with lingual thyroid tissue usually present with symptoms such as dysphagia, choking, haemorrhage, dyspnea and occasionally life threatening airway obstruction. Lingual thyroid is a rare anomaly with an incidence of 1 in 3000 of the thyroid cases seen, with overall prevalence of 1 in 100,000. Here we presented a case with complaint of difficulty in swallowing and foreign body sensation throat. The intraoral examination showed spherical mass with 2 cm of diameter, covered with intact mucosa, located midline at base of tongue. She was diagnosed clinically as lingual thyroid and evaluated further. By proper transdisciplinary approach correct diagnosis can be made and patient can be managed. In present case, thyroid profile, USG neck and thyroid scintigraphy helped in diagnosis. Patient was managed medically with tablet levothyroxine which relieved her symptoms. Surgical management was not considered as patient improved with levothyroxine and surgical excision would have made patient further hypothyroid as there was no thyroid gland in neck.</p>

Difficulties in Differential Diagnosis of Thyrotoxicosis: Clinical Case

Introduction: Thyrotoxicosis (T) develops as a result of persistent excess of thyroid hormones (TH). There are two groups of diseases that are fundamentally different in pathogenesis. The first group includes those in which the production of TH increases. Diseases of the second group are accompanied by T caused by destruction of the thyroid gland tissue. Therapeutic approaches for different pathogenetic types of T are different, therefore, a careful differential diagnosis of T is necessary, even if at first glance the diagnosis seems obvious. Clinical Case: A 35-year-old patient consulted a physician complaining of weakness, weight loss by 11 kg in 1.5 months, tremors, palpitations, which first appeared about a month ago. The examination revealed TSH &lt;0.0083 mU/l (0.4-4.0), and an endocrinologist’s consultation was recommended. On examination, the thyroid gland is no larger than the distal phalanx of the subject’s thumb, BMI=24 kg/m2, HR=100 bpm, BP=115/80 mm Hg. Laboratory examination: TSH &lt;0.0083 mU/l, free T4 =28.29 pmol/l (9.0-19.05). Ultrasound of the thyroid gland: signs of diffuse changes in tissue, the total volume=16.8 ml3. For differential diagnosis of T, antibodies to TSH receptors were determined, the titer of which turned out to be slightly increased 1.43 IU / L (&lt;1). A diagnosis of Graves’ disease (GD) was made and treatment was prescribed (Tyrozol 30 mg, Bisoprolol 2.5 mg per day). After 3 weeks, the patient noted an improvement in well-being, but weakness, tremor, an increase in free T4 (23.33 pmol/l) and total T3 (3.26nmol / l at a rate of 0.98-2.33) remained. The lack of achievement of the target values of TH levels was regarded as inadequacy of the received dose of Tyrozol, in connection with which it was decided to increase the dose to 40 mg per day. After 2 weeks, an increase in free T4 (27.26 pmol/L) and total T3 (3.84 nmol/L) remained. The lack of positive dynamics called into question the diagnosis of GD. With a more thorough collection of anamnesis, it was found that 1.5 years ago, the patient took amiodarone for 6 months as prescribed by a cardiologist (he does not remember the dose). In this connection, to establish the cause of T, scintigraphy was performed: revealed a weak accumulation of a radiopharmaceutical with diffuse uneven distribution. Based on the data obtained, amiodarone-induced T type 2 was verified. Treatment was corrected: Tyrosol withdrawal and Prednisolone administration, 40 mg/day with positive dynamics from treatment. Conclusion: Clinical case demonstrates how important it is to carefully collect the patient’s history and follow the algorithms for differential diagnosis. Errors in diagnosis lead to incorrectly prescribed treatment, lengthening the duration of symptoms, which affects not only the patient’s quality of life, but also reduces the level of his trust in medical professionals.

Infiltration of nanocarbon suspension into the tracheal cavity during surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a case report

Cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer affects postoperative recurrence and survival. Hypoparathyroidism is caused by parathyroid gland injury during thyroidectomy. Carbon nanoparticles can trace stained lymph nodes, aiding in thorough dissection of lymph nodes in the operation area. To reduce postoperative occurrence of hypoparathyroidism, the parathyroid glands and their functions (identified by negative imaging induced by carbon nanoparticles) are retained in situ. However, the safety and adverse effects of nanocarbon suspension in thyroid surgery have rarely been evaluated. In this report, we describe a patient with thyroid cancer who had carbon secretions in the trachea caused by nanocarbon suspension when tracheal intubation was performed under general anesthesia, and the inflatable balloon surface of the tracheal tube was covered with these secretions. The patient recovered without fever, cough, phlegm production, chest pain, hoarseness, or hypocalcemia-induced convulsions. No consensus has yet been reached on the most appropriate injection site, depth, dose, or waiting time for nanocarbons in thyroid cancer surgery. We believe that nanocarbon suspension is safe for use in thyroid cancer surgery, but the most appropriate injection depth should be based on the thickness of the thyroid gland tissue to avoid deep injection into the trachea.

A Miniature Robotic-Assisted Tool for Large Area Endomicroscopy Scanning

Recent developments in probe-based optical imaging tools such as confocal endomicroscopy have been demonstrated to be powerful techniques that can provide high-resolution in vivo morphological images at cellular and subcellular levels. Such tools may aid in real-time assessment of cancerous tissue and can also be used for intraoperative surgical guidance. However, it is a challenge to scan over a large area due to the small field-of-view and the difficulties associated with manually manipulating the probe. In this paper, a hand-held miniature scanning device for controlled, large area imaging is proposed. The device can scan target surfaces automatically. A passive linear mechanism is used to maintain good probe–tissue contacts. The results demonstrated that large area mosaics up to 31.4 mm2 can be obtained. The experimental results for ex vivo human thyroid gland tissue have shown the potential of the device for improving the prospects of intraoperative tissue identification and margin assessment.

Riedel's Thyroiditis. A Clinical Review.

Riedel`s thyroiditis is a rare disease with an unknown etiology, which is characterized by replacement of the thyroid gland tissue with a fibrous connective tissue, the main characteristic sign is the stony-hard texture of the gland, extending to the surrounding structures (trachea, esophagus, blood vessels and nerves). Dense adhesion causes clinical symptoms of tracheal compression, such as shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing and dyspnoea. Regarding functional activity, both euthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis with the subsequent development of hypothyroidism can be observed. A difficult preoperative diagnosis allows only to suspect this disease, as well as differentiate it with some aggressive forms of cancer, and therefore the final diagnosis is possible only after histological and immunohistochemical examinations of postoperative material. The conservative treatment (mainly glucocorticoid drugs) and surgical intervention can be applied. It is necessary to be meticulous about the choice of a treatment method, taking into account the firmly adhesion with surrounding structures and a high risk of complications of surgical treatment of the thyroid gland. This case report describes a patient with a confirmed morphological diagnosis of Riedelapos;s thyroiditis after thyroidectomy. The peculiarity of this case is a clear positive correlation of the occurrence of subfebrile fever with the onset of the disease and its resolution after surgical treatment and a 11-month follow-up period.

Presence of B19V in Patients with Thyroid Gland Disorders

Background and Objectives: Viral infections are frequently cited as a major environmental factor implicated in thyroid gland diseases. This work aimed to estimate the presence of B19V infection in patients with thyroid gland disorders. Materials and Methods: Thyroid gland tissue and blood samples of 50 patients with autoimmune thyroid gland diseases (AITDs), 76 patients with non-autoimmune thyroid gland diseases (non-AITDs), and 35 deceased subjects whose histories did not show any autoimmune or thyroid diseases (control group) were enrolled in the study. Virus-specific IgM and IgG were detected using ELISA, and the presence and viral load of B19V in the tissue and blood were detected using PCRs. Results: B19V IgG antibodies were detected in 35/50 AITDs patients and in 51/76 non-AITDs patients, and B19V IgM antibodies were detected in 1/50 patients with AITDs and in none of the 76 patients with non-AITDs. The B19V NS sequence was found in the tissue DNA of 10/50 patients with AITDs, in 30/76 with non-AITDs, and in 1/35 control group individuals. The median B19V load in the tissue of patients with AITDs and non-AITDs was 423.00 copies/µg DNA (IQR: 22.50–756.8) and 43.00 copies/µg DNA (IQR: 11.50–826.5), respectively. The viral load in one of the 35 nPCR B19V-positive thyroid tissue samples from the deceased subjects was 13.82 copies/µg DNA. The viral load in the tissue of patients with AITDs was higher than in whole blood, which possibly indicates B19V persistency in thyrocytes (p = 0.0076). Conclusion: The fact that the genoprevalence of B19V NS was significantly higher in patients with non-AITDs compared to the control group and in the thyroid gland tissue of patients with AITDs, and that the non-AITDs viral load was higher than in tissue derived from the control group individuals, suggest the possibility that B19V infection could be involved in the development of thyroid gland diseases.

Morphological characteristic and assessment of changesin the main structural components of the histohematological barrier of the thyroid tissue in cases of the sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy

A retrospective analysis of acts of forensic medical autopsies from the archive of St. Petersburg GBUS BSME and a histological study of thyroid gland tissue in 188 cases (95 women and 93 men) were carried out with statistical processing of the obtained results for the purpose of studying and assessing the morphological changes in the main components of the histohematological barrier of thyroid gland tissue in cases of the sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The decrease in the weight of the thyroid gland in the investigated cases and the revealed morphological signs, indicative of a decrease in the memory function of the thyroid gland were found and can be caused by the prolonged toxic effect of ethanol and its metabolites. Morphological changes in the endothelial lining of the vessels of the microcirculatory bed are caused both by the direct cytotoxic action of ethanol and its metabolites and by the action of mediators, the release of which occurs as a result of stimulation of the reactive cells, which leads to swelling, deformation and increased activity of endothelial cell membranes with the expansion of intercellular spaces and the development of increased permeability of the endothelial lining, which, in its turn, contributes to disruption of electrolyte transport and nutrients transport with changes trophism thyroid gland tissue, which is a substrate for the appearance of dystrophic and necrobiotic processes in main structural components of the histogematogenous barrier of the thyroid gland. The revealed morphological changes in thyroid gland tissue in cases of death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy have a non-specific nature and should be considered in conjunction with other visceral manifestations that are a reflection of alcohol intoxication during the chronic alcoholism.