see also: Case Example of Thyroglossal duct cyst excision standard approach; Case example thyroglossal duct cyst with tract through to oropharynx;

Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Rads; Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Excision; Lingual Thyroid Radiology

Thyroglossal duct cyst is the most common congential midline neck mass

From wikimedia commons - nice description of Thyroglossal Duct Cyst anatomy:

with permission - downloaded 2-14-2019: (WebM VP9/Vorbis video file, 4 min 38 s) - 14:58, 12 May 2018 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Thyroglossal_D...

TGD's are benign midline neck masses arising from persistence of the thyroglossal duct tract that usually obliterates during fetal development. the cyst, sometimes associated with a tract (see: Case example thyroglossal duct cyst with tract through to oropharynx) is due to incomplete atrophy of the thyroglossal duct tract.

Usual treatment is surgical excision (see: Case Example of Thyroglossal duct cyst excision standard approach and Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Excision)

Estimated 1% of thyroglossal duct cysts contain thyroid carcinoma

Differential diagnosis includes:

a. Epidermoid cyst - usually more superficially and less tethered to the hyoid bone

b. Branchial cleft cyst - typically located lateral to the midline (see 2nd Arch Branchial Cleft Cyst Case Example)

c. Bronchogenic cyst - rarely presents as small anterior neck mass (low in neck when it does)

References

Ahuja AT et al: Imaging for thyroglossal duct cyst: the bare essentials. Clin Radiol. 60(2):141-8, 2005

Peter M. Som, Wendy R.K. Smoker, Hugh D. Curtin, Joy S. Reidenberg and Jeffrey Laitman Head and Neck Imaging, Chapter 37, 2235-2285  Head and Neck Imaging Fifth Edition Copyright © 2011 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Wood CB, Bigcas JL, Alava I, Bischoff L, Langerman A, Kim Y.Papillary-Type Carcinoma of the Thyroglossal Duct Cyst: The Case for Conservative Management.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2018 Oct;127(10):710-716. doi: 10.1177/0003489418791892. Epub 2018 Aug 9.

de Tristan J et al: Thyroglossal duct cysts: 20 years' experience (1992-2011). Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 272(9):2513-9, 2015

Chou J et al: Thyroglossal duct cysts: anatomy, embryology and treatment. Surg Radiol Anat. 35(10):875-81, 2013

Thompson LD et al: A clinicopathologic series of 685 thyroglossal duct remnant cysts. Head Neck Pathol. 10(4):465-74, 2016