Thyroid Hemiagenesis Associated with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Central Compartment Lymph Node Metastasis

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a rare form of thyroid congenital abnormally, in which one thyroid lobe fails to develop. Presence of carcinoma in a patient with thyroid hemiagenesis is an extremely rare. Case reports and a review of the world literature concerning thyroid hemiagenesis with papillary thyroid cancer are presented. A 47-year-old female patient without previous thyroid surgery history presented with an incidentally discovered right thyroid nodule. The left thyroid was not seen by ultrasonography and computed tomography. Fine-needle aspiration of right thyroid nodule showed that positive finding for papillary thyroid carcinoma. A total thyroidectomy with central compartment neck dissection was performed. The pathologic finding was confirmed to be well-differentiated papillary thyroid microcarcinoma and metastatic right paratracheal lymph nodes. To our knowledge, this case represents the first reported thyroid hemiagenesis associated with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma and central compartment lymph node metastasis. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2013;24:311-313)