Subcutaneous implantation of thyroid tissue after thyroid surgery
ORIGINAL PAPERS
Abstract
Introduction. The appearance of implantation metastases in the soft tissues of the neck in the area of the postoperative wound is a rare complication of thyroid surgery. They are most often diagnosed in patients with aggressive, poorly differentiated malignant tumors. Most publications focus on the occurrence of implantative recurrences, sometimes multiple, after endovideosurgical and robotic surgeries. The dragging of thyroid tissue through a long and narrow manipulation channel can lead to the dissemination of thyroid cells along its course. In addition, the possibility of developing implanted foci, although extremely low, exists even when using a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. When analyzing the world literature, about 15 observations of implanted recurrences of benign thyroid tissue in traditional thyroid operations are described. Aim of the work — to describe rare forms of implanted thyroid tissue recurrences after traditional and endovideosurgical thyroid surgeries. Materials and methods. Five patients underwent surgery for implantation recurrences in the soft tissues of the neck at the site of a previous postoperative scar. Results. Subcutaneous implantation of benign thyroid tissue was diagnosed in three patients. Metastases of papillary and follicular carcinoma were identified in two cases. Conclusion. In the case of implantative recurrence, it is necessary to perform a fine-needle aspiration biopsy before surgery and, if possible, to review the primary histological material to exclude thyroid cancer.
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