Subcutaneous implantation after endoscopic and traditional thyroid surgery: a retrospective case report

TL;DR

This case report highlights subcutaneous implantation after thyroid surgery, emphasizing the need for careful surgical techniques to prevent this rare complication.

Contribution

The first reported case of primary enteric adenocarcinoma of the thyroid with subcutaneous implantation is presented.

Findings

Six cases of thyroid tumor subcutaneous implantation were identified, including one mucinous adenocarcinoma and two papillary thyroid carcinomas.

One case recurred after a 69.5-month follow-up, while the others showed no metastasis or recurrence.

Chemotherapy and radioactive iodine therapy were used in some cases with varied outcomes.

Abstract

Subcutaneous implantation is an unexpected complication of thyroid surgery. Our study aimed to analyze the clinical features and outcomes of implantation after thyroid surgery. We retrospectively searched for the patients with implants of thyroid tumor after surgery from our database prior to August 2023. The clinical and pathological data were reviewed. Six female patients with a mean age of 33.6 ± 13.3 years were enrolled in this study. There was a rare case with mucinous adenocarcinoma, three follicular thyroid carcinoma, and two papillary thyroid carcinoma. The case with primary enteric adenocarcinoma of thyroid with subcutaneous implantation was first reported. The patient with mucinous adenocarcinoma received six courses of TP regimen chemotherapy. Five cases received radioactive iodine therapy. After a mean of 69.5 months of follow-up, one case recurred in the lateral region, and no metastasis or recurrence happened in the other five cases. Although the implantation after thyroid surgery is uncommon, the cases serve as a reminder to take greater care to avoid implantation.

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