Pulmonary Thyroid Ectopia? Incidental Finding by E-Fast. Report of a Rare Case

Abstract

Pulmonary thyroid ectopia (PTE) is a rare condition, affecting 1 in 300,000 individuals, with a higher prevalence in women (3:1). Although generally benign, these lesions may be asymptomatic or cause respiratory symptoms if they compress pulmonary structures. A definitive diagnosis requires an ultrasound-guided biopsy or chest CT to rule out other pathologies. 

This study describes the case of a 41-year-old woman who, following multiple trauma from a motorcycle collision, developed dyspnea and pain in the right hemithorax. During E-FAST, a solid space-occupying lesion (SOL) was incidentally discovered in the right lung lobe. Given the absence of pre-accident symptoms, an ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy of the lesion was performed to rule out a possible neoplasia, with a histopathological diagnosis of pulmonary thyroid ectopia without atypia. Unlike other cases, surgical resolution was not initially chosen. Instead, conservative management was adopted because the symptoms were attributed to the trauma history and not to the PTE, which was asymptomatic prior to the incident. 

The patient currently continues to be monitored with periodic imaging tests.