To report a rare case of ectopic thyroid tissue located near the gallbladder neck and hepatic hilum, initially suspected to be a biliary or gallbladder-related mass.
Approach:
Patient Presentation: A 50-year-old woman with a 2-year history of intermittent right upper quadrant abdominal pain.
Imaging and Diagnosis: Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a hyperdense lesion at the hepatic hilum adjacent to the gallbladder neck, leading to further imaging recommendations.
Surgical Intervention: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with en bloc resection of the hilar lesion was performed due to patient preference for operative management.
Histopathological Analysis: Intraoperative frozen-section analysis confirmed benign ectopic thyroid tissue, which was later validated by final histopathology.
Key Findings:
Ectopic thyroid tissue is an uncommon developmental anomaly, particularly in the hepatobiliary region.
The lesion was diagnosed as benign ectopic thyroid tissue composed of mature, well-differentiated thyroid follicles without atypia.
Postoperative evaluation showed a normal orthotopic thyroid gland.
Interpretation:
Ectopic thyroid tissue adjacent to the gallbladder neck can mimic biliary or gallbladder masses.
Limitations:
Preoperative diagnosis of abdominal ectopic thyroid is challenging due to nonspecific clinical manifestations.
Financial constraints led to the patient's refusal of further imaging, impacting diagnostic clarity.
Conclusion:
Surgeons should consider ectopic thyroid tissue in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder neck or porta hepatis lesions of uncertain origin.
