Thyroglossal duct cyst is one of the most frequently encountered congenital cervical lesions. As the embryo develops, the thyroid progresses downward to its ultimate location in the anterior cervical region. In normal development, the connection
between
the cervical thyroid gland and the pint of the foramen cecum is obliterated. However, persistence of this connection results in a thyroglossal duct. It is evident that dilation of the thyroglossal duct at any point along its course produces
thyroglossal
duct cyst.
In a review of 88 patients with thyroglossal duct cyst and fistula who were admitted to the Department of Surgery of the Presbyterian Medical Center between January 1984 and December 1994, the authors reviewed the cases of 76 patients.
We compared problems between the younger(less than 20 years old) and elderly patients.
@ES The results were as follows:
@EN 1) Younger patient composed 32 cases(42%), and elderly patients 44 cases(58%).
2) In sex distribution, in the younger patients 20 cases were male and 12 cases female, in the elderly patients 23 cases were male and 21 cases female.
3) The most common symptom and sign was soft palpable painless cystic mass without any age-related difference.
4) 4 cases in the elderly group, the preoperative diagnosis was thyroglossal duct cyst but they were diagnosed histologically as epidermoid cyst(3 cases) and cystic hygroma(1 case) after the operation.
5) Most of the cysts presents in the midline without any aged-related difference, but 3 cases in the younger group and 7 cases in elderly group were present lateral to the midline.
6) The size of the cyst was <2cm in 26 cases(81%) in the younger patients, and I elderly patients ≥2cm in 32 cases(73%).
7) Physical examination, ultrasound, and CT scan were of much benefit in marking the preoperative diagnosis. A thyroid scan was performed on 51 patients preoperatively, and al of the findings were normal with no evidence of ectopic thyroid
tissue.
8) In 4 cases among the elderly patients, sinus formation was seen.
9) The authors performed Sistrunk operation on all of the patients, and 1 case was recurred in one of the younger patients.
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