[Submandibular swelling four years after total thyroidectomy].

INTRODUCTION

Submandibular swelling most frequently involves the submandibular gland. It is often due to lithiasis or to tumor. Some rare cases of submandibular swelling have been reported such as submandibular localizations of thyroid lesions. Our case study concerns one of these rare occurrences.

OBSERVATION: A 47-year-old female patient consulted for a right-sided submandibular mass progressively increasing in size during the previous 2 years. The patient had undergone a total thyroidectomy, 4 years before consulting, for a toxic multinodular goiter THAT had been treated by L-thyroxin replacement therapy per os since the surgery. TSH and LT4 levels were normal. A CT scan revealed a large tumor in the right submandibular space with heterogeneous contrast. Fine needle cytopuncture allowed observing follicular cellules suggesting thyroid origin. The cervicotomy confirmed the diagnosis of an ectopic goiter.

DISCUSSION: Thyroid disorders may in rare cases concern the submandibular space. A history of thyroid disorders should be taken into account for the etiological diagnosis of unusual submandibular masses in maxillo-facial surgery.