Thyroglossal Duct Cyst: Clinical Insights from a Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20956/nmsj.v10i1.48026Abstract
Introduction and importance:
A thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is the most common congenital mass found in the neck region. TGDC originates from the thyroglossal duct and persists along the descending groove of the thyroid gland, from the foramen caecum to the superior thyroid gland in front of the trachea.
Presentation of case:
A 46-year-old man presented with a slowly enlarging lump at the anterior midline of the neck, first noticed about 10 years earlier. On examination, a well-defined, round, cystic mass measuring 3.5 × 3.3 cm was found superior to the thyroid cartilage. The mass moved with tongue protrusion and swallowing and was mobile, painless, and non-tender. These findings were consistent with a thyroglossal duct cyst.
Discussion:
Thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is a congenital midline neck mass resulting from the persistence of the thyroglossal duct during thyroid descent. Diagnosis is based on clinical features and imaging, with the Sistrunk procedure serving as the gold standard treatment to prevent recurrence. The patient underwent successful surgical excision without complications, and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.
Conclusions:
The Sistrunk's Procedure surgery was conducted successfully with no postoperative complication in this case.
References
1. El-Ayman YA, Naguib SM, Abdalla WM, Huge thyroglossal duct cyst in elderly patient: Case report. International Journal of Surgery Case Reports 2018. 51: 415-418.
2. Sharma R, Birchall M. Pharynx, larynx, and neck. In: Williams NS, Bulstrode CJK, O'Connell PR. Bailey and Love's short practice of surgery. 28th edition. Florida: CRC Press; 2023.p.774-776.
3. Akram A, Tariq M, Shahid, RA. Thyroglossal duct cyst excision under magnification - How I do it. Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences 2018;12: 855-856.
4. Chou J, Walters A, Hage R, Zurada A, Michalak M, Tubbs RS, et al. Thyroglossal duct cysts: anatomy, embryology and treatment. Surg Radiol Anat 2013; 35: 875-881. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1115-3
5. Alahmadi AA, Bawazir OA, Rajab MK, Althobaiti IA, Bawazir AO, Abi Sheffah FR, Al-Tammas AH, Marglani OA, Heaphy JC, Alherabi AZ. Thyroglossal duct surgery. What is the acceptable recurrence rate? Saudi Med J. 2020 Aug;41(8):878-882. doi: 10.15537/smj.2020.8.25169. PMID: 32789430; PMCID: PMC7502963.
6. Righini CA, Hitter A, Reyt E, Atallah I. Thyroglossal duct surgery. Sistrunk procedure. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck diseases 2016; 133: 133-136
7. Amos J, Shermetaro C. Thyroglossal Duct Cyst. [2025 July 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519057/
8. Zaman SU, Ikram M, Awan MS, Hassan NH. A decade of experience of management of thyroglossal duct cyst in a tertiary care hospital: Differentiation between children and adults. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery 2016; 69: 97-101.
9. Muhialdeen AS, Salih AM, Ahmed MM, et al. Thyroglossal duct diseases: presentation and outcomes. Journal of International Medical Research. 2023;51(2). doi:10.1177/03000605231154392
10. Ross J, Manteghi A, Rethy K, Ding J, Chennupati SK. Thyroglossal duct cyst surgery: A ten- year single institution experience. Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol 2017 Oct;101:132-136. [PubMed: 28964283].
11. Kinontoa M, Lumintang N, Lengkong A. Incidence of thyroglossal duct cysts in the surgical department of Prof. Dr. R. D. Kandou Hospital Manado period January 2014 - December 2016. Sam Ratulangi University e-clinic journal 2018; 6(1): 22-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35790/ecl.6.1.2018.18712
12. Rejeb SB, Chaabane Y, Hachicha A, Turki S, Intra-thyroid thyroglossal duct cyst: a case report and review of the literature, Journal of Surgical Case Reports, Volume 2025, Issue 3, March 2025, rjaf152, https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjaf152
13. Sadler TW. Langman's mediccal embryology. 15th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2023.p.306-307.
14. Corvino A, Pignata S, Campanino MR, Corvino F, Giurazza F, Tafuri D, Pinto F, Catalano O. Thyroglossal duct cysts and site-specific differential diagnoses: imaging findings with emphasis on ultrasound assessment. J Ultrasound. 2020 Jun;23(2):139-149. doi: 10.1007/s40477-020-00433-2. Epub 2020 Feb 12. PMID: 32052384; PMCID: PMC7242578.
15. Ma J, Ming C, Lou F, Wang ML, Lin K, Zeng WJ, et al. Misdiagnosic analysis and treatment of pyriform sinus fistula in children. Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2018; 53(5): 381-384.
16. Taha A, Enodien B, Frey DM, Taha-Mehlitz S. Thyroglossal Duct Cyst, a Case Report and Literature Review. Diseases. 2022 Jan 25;10(1):7. doi: 10.3390/diseases10010007. PMID: 35225860; PMCID: PMC8883879.
17. Al-Thani H, El-Menyar A, Sulaiti MA, El-Mabrok J, Hajaji K, Elgohary H, Asim M, Taha I, Tabeb A. Presentation, Management, and Outcome of Thyroglossal Duct Cysts in Adult and Pediatric Populations: A 14-Year Single Center Experience. Oman Med J. 2016 Jul;31(4):276-83. doi: 10.5001/omj.2016.54. PMID: 27403240; PMCID: PMC4927737.
18. Povey HG, Selvachandran H, Peters RT, Jones MO. Management of suspected thyroglossal duct cysts. Journal of Pediatric Surgery 2018; 53(2): 281-282. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2017.11.019
19. Hossain T, Hanif Md A. Clinicopathologic Study of Thyroglossal Duct Cyst: An Institutional Experience. Glob Acad J Med Sci. 2023;5(1):21 24. doi:10.36348/gajms.2023.v05i01.004.
20. Thompson LD, Herrera HB, Lau SK. A Clinicopathologic Series of 685 Thyroglossal Duct Remnant Cysts. Head Neck Pathol. 2016 Dec;10(4):465-474. doi: 10.1007/s12105-016-0724-7. Epub 2016 May 9. PMID: 27161104; PMCID: PMC5082048.
21. Chung DH. Thyroglossal duct cyst. In: Fletcher J, editor. Townsend and Evers's atlas of general surgical techniques. 1stedition. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2010.p.83-87
22. Rohof D, Honings J, Theunisse HJ, Schutte HW, van den Hoogen FJ, van den Broek GB, Takes RP, Wijnen MH, Marres HA. Recurrences after thyroglossal duct cyst surgery: Results in 207 consecutive cases and review of the literature. Head Neck. 2015 Dec;37(12):1699-704. doi: 10.1002/hed.23817. Epub 2014 Sep 25. PMID: 24985922.(25)
23. Campbell BA, Kelly Z, Kim HY, Cunningham MJ, Choi SS. Predictors of Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Recurrence and Complications Following Sistrunk Procedure. Laryngoscope. 2025 Jul;135(7):2608-2616. doi: 10.1002/lary.32082. Epub 2025 Feb 20. PMID: 39976368.
24. Wynings EM, Wang CS, Parsa S, Johnson RF, Liu CC. Risk-adjusted analysis of perioperative outcomes after the Sistrunk procedure. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2023 Nov 21;8(6):1571-1578. doi: 10.1002/lio2.1183. PMID: 38130263; PMCID: PMC10731482.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Robert Christeven, Florean Hartungi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.







