Da Vinci robot-assisted resection to treat abdominal ectopic thyroid: a case report and literature review

Although ectopic thyroid can be found in thoracic locations, the discovery of abdominal ectopic thyroid is often an accidental event. Moreover, abdominal ectopic thyroid is easily misdiagnosed due to the rarity of these cases and the difficulties in the preoperative diagnosis process. Thus, we aimed to assess the prevalence and features of abdominal ectopic thyroid and to highlight the current knowledge about the clinical characteristics and management of this condition by analyzing a case report of abdominal ectopic thyroid and reviewing the literature. A 70-year-old woman with a 3-year history of gradually increasing abdominal distension in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen was admitted to the hospital. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a retroperitoneal mass. The patient underwent Da Vinci robotic surgery, and the retroperitoneal mass was completely resected. Subsequently, the pathologic diagnosis of the mass was ET. The patient had no discomfort or symptoms when she was discharged from the hospital and at the postoperative 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months follow-up. The summary of literature review suggested that abdominal ectopic thyroid is still rare although there are some reports. Nonetheless, the cause of abdominal ectopic thyroid is unclear, and abdominal ectopic thyroid has the following characteristics: more common in women than in men, asymptomatic in the majority of the cases, difficult to diagnose, and found by excluding metastasis. Most ectopic thyroid is treated with surgery, and minimally invasive techniques have been increasingly performed. This is the first report on Da Vinci robotic resection for large rare retroperitoneal ET, and this case highlights that ET should be considered when patients present with similar imaging findings in the abdomen.