Mediastinal thyroid tissue within a lung tumor: case report

The authors present an interesting case of a patient with a lung mass who underwent a mediastinoscopy. Biopsy revealed thyroid tissue in a section of mediastinal lymph nodes, with chronic lymphadenitis. The patent was subsequently found to have squamous carcinoma of the lung. A thyroid scan demonstrated the patient's aberrant thyroid tissue in the mediastinum. This is particularly interesting since the patient had prior administration of iodine contrast and that iodine-123(/sup 123/I) was utilized for thyroid imaging. The use of thyroid imaging for the detection of ectopic thyroid tissue has been well documented.