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.
Preoperative use was associated with fewer revisions and no increase in short-term complications among patients with obesity, although benefits appeared concentrated in select subgroups.
