INTRODUCTION: A thyroglossal cyst (TGC) is an unusual neck lesion that is occassionally diagnosed in a general hospital that mostly attend adult patients. The aim of the current study was to analyze our experience in the management of these lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of 43 patients operated on at the Social Security Hospital in Quito (Ecuador) from 1980 to 1998 for a thyroglossal duct cyst or fistula, were reviewed. RESULTS: Distribution was similar in both sexes. Mean age was 23. Thirty-five patients presented with a cystic lesion located in the midline or slightly laterally in the neck, closely related to the hyoid bone; the other 8 patients had a cutaneous fistula at the same place. All of the patients but one, underwent a radical Sistrunk procedure; complications were minor. In 5 patients (12%), a papillary thyroid carcinoma within the TGC was reported at the histologic study. No recurrence developed after a mean 23-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A cyst or a fistula located at the level of the hyoid bone suggest a thyroglossal duct lesion. A papillary carcinoma can rarely occur within the TGC. A Sistrunk procedure is usually curative.
