Preliminary Diagnosis: Thyroglossal duct cyst
I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis
-
CT soft tissue neck with IV contrast.
II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosis of thyroglossal duct cyst.
Advantages
-
Relatively inexpensive, fast imaging modality.
-
Highly specific and sensitive for detecting and diagnosing a thyroglossal duct cyst.
-
Can track the entire course of the thyroglossal duct cyst.
Disadvantages
-
Exposes a patient to ionizing radiation.
III. What are the contraindications for the first-line imaging technique?
-
May be contraindicated in pregnant patients.
IV. What alternative imaging techniques are available?
-
MR of the neck with IV contrast
V. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative techniques for diagnosis of thyroglossal duct cyst.
MR of the neck with IV contrast
Advantages
-
May help fine tune a differential diagnosis.
Disadvantages
-
Expensive
-
Time-consuming
-
May be subject to dental hardware and motion artifact.
VI. What are the contraindications for the alternative imaging techniques?
MR of the neck with IV contrast
-
Contraindicated in patients with non-MR compatible hardware.
Copyright © 2017, 2013 Decision Support in Medicine, LLC. All rights reserved.
No sponsor or advertiser has participated in, approved or paid for the content provided by Decision Support in Medicine LLC. The Licensed Content is the property of and copyrighted by DSM.
