THYROID AND PARATHYROID GLAND PATHOLOGY

Lesions of the thyroid gland represent some of the most heterogeneous abnormalities in the head and neck. Depending on the clinical presentation and suspected abnormality, the clinician may order nuclear medicine scintigraphy, ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as the first imaging modality. Clearly, the work-up for an infant with a midline cystic mass in the lower neck is entirely different from that for a 40-year-old male with a solitary palpable nodule in the thyroid gland. Therefore, it is important to consider lesions of the thyroid gland according to neoplastic, congenital, and inflammatory categories. Within each of these categories, imaging is discussed.