Abstract
Generally, small quantities of adipose tissue is present in the thyroid gland. The adenolipoma of the thyroid gland is considered a rare finding. It consists in a benign, encapsulated neoplasm composed of mature adipose tissue and glandular elements. We report a case of a 71 year-old female patient presenting with swelling of the anterior neck and history of airway obstruction. Ultrasound (US) examination showed a bulky multinodular goiter which caused dislocation and compression of the trachea. The scans performed at the level of the isthmic region showed the presence of a hyperechoic oval formation with a homogeneous echostructure and regular contours; these characteristics suggested the lipomatous nature of the nodule. The patient was subsequently subjected to a Computer Tomography (CT) of the neck for a pre-operative balance of the goitre and to exclude extra-thyroid pathologies. The CT scan confirmed the sonographic findings, and the probable adipose nature of the isthmic formation. After the patient has been subjected to total thyroidectomy and histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of adenolipoma.
Sommario
Generalmente solo scarse quantità di tessuto adiposo sono presenti a livello tiroideo. L’adenolipoma tiroideo è considerato una lesione di raro riscontro. È una neoplasia benigna, provvista di capsula, composta da tessuto adiposo maturo ed elementi ghiandolari. Presentiamo il caso di una donna di 71 anni giunta alla nostra osservazione per una tumefazione del collo e una storia di ostruzione respiratoria. L’esame ecografico evidenziava la presenza di un voluminoso gozzo multinodulare che determinava modesta compressione e dislocazione della trachea. Le scansioni eseguite a livello della regione istmica mostravano la presenza di una formazione ovalare iperecogena ad ecostruttura omogenea e a contorni regolari; tali caratteristiche suggerivano la natura lipomatosa della suddetta formazione. La paziente fu sottoposta successivamente ad esame TC del collo per un bilancio pre-operatorio del gozzo e per escludere patologie extra-tiroidee. L’esame TC confermava i reperti ecografici e la verosimile natura adiposa della formazione istmica. In seguito la paziente fu sottoposta a tiroidectomia totale ed esame istologico che confermava la diagnosi di adenolipoma.
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Pennisi, M., Conti, A., Farina, R. et al. Thyroid adenolipoma: a case report. J Ultrasound 21, 165–168 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-017-0270-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-017-0270-5