LINGUAL THYROID IN A YOUNG ASYMPTOMATIC FEMALE PATIENT WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM--CASE REPORT /LINGVALNA STITASTA ZLEZDA KOD MLADE PACIJENTKINJE BEZ SIMPTOMA SA HIPOTIREOIDIZMOM--PRIKAZ SLUCAJA

Introduction. Lingual thyroid is a rare condition where thyroid tissue is abnormally located at the base of the tongue due to embryological development issues. The precise prevalence is uncertain, as many asymptomatic individuals do not undergo clinical examination. Case report. We present a case of a 28-year-old woman with a history of hypothyroidism. The patient exhibited no symptoms indicative of lingual thyroid. A neck ultrasound identified hypoplastic thyroid tissue centrally in the neck and a solitary nodule in the submandibular region. Further evaluation with an oropharyngeal examination revealed a solid mass at the base of the tongue. A technetium-99m pertechnetate thyroid scintigraphy, performed with single photon emission computed tomography on a hybrid gamma camera, demonstrated functional thyroid tissue at the tongue's base, measuring 16 mm in diameter, with no functional glandular tissue in the central neck region. Conclusion. Asymptomatic lingual thyroid can be diagnosed through oropharyngeal examination, neck ultrasound and technetium-99m pertechnetate thyroid scintigraphy using a hybrid gamma camera, which provides both functional and anatomical data. Management should be individualized based on the patient's symptoms and thyroid hormone levels. Key words: Lingual Thyroid; Hypothyroidism; Thyroid Dysgenesis; Diagnosis; Ultrasonography; Radionuclide Imaging Uvod. Lingvalna stitasta zlezda je retka ektopicna lokalizacija stitaste zlezde koja se javlja u vidu cvora na bazi jezika zbog abnormalnosti u embriogenezi. Tacna ucestalost lingvalne stitaste zlezde nije poznata jer mnogi asimptomatski pojedinci nikada ne dodu na klinicki pregled. Prikaz slucaja. Prikazan je slucaj pacijentkinje stare 28 godina koja se javila na nase odeljenje sa klinic-kom istorijom hipotireoze. Pacijentkinja nije prijavila nikakve simptome koji bi ukazivali na prisustvo lingvalne stitaste zlezde. Ultrasonografskim pregledom vrata otkriveno je hipoplasticno tkivo stitaste zlezde u centralnom delu vrata i solitarni cvor u sub-mandibularnoj regiji. Radi dodatne evaluacije uraden je orofaringealni pregled kojim je uocena solidna masa na bazi jezika. U nasoj sluzbi izvrsena je studija scintigrafije stitaste zlezde tehnecijumom-99m pertehnetatom uz upotrebu jednofotonske emisione kompjuterizovane tomografije na hibridnoj gama kameri. Slike su pokazale funkcionalno tkivo stitaste zlezde u predelu baze jezika sa vecim precnikom od 16 mm i odsustvo funkcionalnog zlezdanog tkiv