Thyroglossal Duct Remnants
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2025-05-06
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Open Access Atlas of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Operative Surgery
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
The surgical management of thyroglossal duct remnants (TGDRs) requires an understanding of the embryology of the thyroid gland, as failure to include the embryological course of the thyroid gland in the surgical resection increases the probability of recurrence. The thyroid gland originates in the base of the tongue at the foramen caecum. In early embryonic life the base of the tongue is adjacent to the pericardial sac. As the embryo unfolds, TGDRs may remain anywhere between the pericardial sac and the foramen caecum. A persistent thyroglossal duct courses through the base of the tongue from the foramen caecum. It then passes inferiorly, anterior to, and rarely through, the hyoid body, and often has a diverticulum that hooks below and behind the hyoid before it courses towards a thyroglossal duct cyst or the thyroid gland.
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Reference:
Fagan, J. 2025. Thyroglossal Duct Remnants. In Open Access Atlas of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Operative Surgery. J. Fagan, Ed.Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town. 7. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43502 .