Thyroglossal duct cysts Embryology

Thyroglossal duct cysts Embryology

The thyroid gland descends early in fetal life from the base of the tongue towards its position in the lower neck with the isthmus lying over the second and third tracheal rings. At the time of its descent, the hyoid bone has not been formed and the track of the descent of the thyroid gland is variable, passing in front, through or behind the eventual position of the hyoid body . Thyroglossal duct cysts represent a persistence of this track and may therefore be found anywhere in or adjacent to the midline from the tongue base to the thyroid isthmus. Rarely , what appears to be a thyroglossal cyst is an incompletely migrated thyroid gland that contains the only functioning thyroid tissue in the body . Ultrasound neck imaging is used to con�rm a cyst and the presence of a thyroid gland in the normal location. Thyroglossal duct cysts Embryology

The thyroid gland descends early in fetal life from the base of the tongue towards its position in the lower neck with the isthmus lying over the second and third tracheal rings. At the time of its descent, the hyoid bone has not been formed and the track of the descent of the thyroid gland is variable, passing in front, through or behind the eventual position of the hyoid body . Thyroglossal duct cysts represent a persistence of this track and may therefore be found anywhere in or adjacent to the midline from the tongue base to the thyroid isthmus. Rarely , what appears to be a thyroglossal cyst is an incompletely migrated thyroid gland that contains the only functioning thyroid tissue in the body . Ultrasound neck imaging is used to con�rm a cyst and the presence of a thyroid gland in the normal location.