Etiology • Cystic change associated with thyroglossal duct remnants that
failed to involute (tenth week of development) • Rarely may be hereditary in origin (autosomal dominant or
recessive)
Clinical Presentation • Soft, painless, and slowly enlarging mass in anterior midline of
the neck of children and young adults • Usually unilocular as seen by ultrasound examination • Mass is usually mobile • Most occur above the hyoid bone. • May involve the tongue
Microscopic Findings • Cyst lining of squamous, transitional, ciliated columnar epithelium composite • The cyst wall may contain residual thyroid tissue.
failed to involute (tenth week of development) • Rarely may be hereditary in origin (autosomal dominant or
recessive)
Clinical Presentation • Soft, painless, and slowly enlarging mass in anterior midline of
the neck of children and young adults • Usually unilocular as seen by ultrasound examination • Mass is usually mobile • Most occur above the hyoid bone. • May involve the tongue
Microscopic Findings • Cyst lining of squamous, transitional, ciliated columnar epithelium composite • The cyst wall may contain residual thyroid tissue.
Diagnosis • Ultrasonography • Clinical presentation of midline neck mass • Histopathology
Differential Diagnosis • Base-of-tongue carcinoma • Base-of-tongue salivary tumor • Thyroid carcinoma arising within cyst
Treatment • Surgical excision
Prognosis • Excellent • Recurrence owing to tortuous morphology • Rarely, carcinomatous transformation of duct lining or rem-
nants of thyroid parenchyma are noted.