Coexistence of a Posterior Mediastinal Goiter and Anterior Mediastinal Ectopic Thyroid Tissue

Retrosternal goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland and a progressive mass that grows insidiously in the chest cavity over a long time. Unlike typical retrosternal goiters, ectopic mediastinal goiters are extremely rare occurring in less than 1% of all goiters. This image presents a 51-year-old woman with a posterior mediastinal goiter in which the left thyroid lobe extends into the retrosternal mediastinum and ectopic thyroid tissue in the anterior mediastinum.

Automated summary

This article describes a 51-year-old woman with a posterior mediastinal goiter, in which the left thyroid lobe extends into the retrosternal mediastinum and there is ectopic thyroid tissue in the anterior mediastinum.