A 13-year-old child is brought to the clinic because he is having increasing trouble breathing, hoarseness, and dysphagia. The symptoms began gradually six months ago but have drastically worsened in the last four weeks. There is no skin rash, pharyngeal discomfort, fever, weight loss, or lack of appetite. The patient's medical history is ordinary, and he or she is not on any drugs. He has received all of his planned vaccines. The patient's parents and siblings have no history of major health issues. He has normal vital signs and is in the 70th percentile for height and weight. A big, red lingual tumor is discovered during an oropharyngeal examination. The mass is then excised from the patient; histopathologic preparation of the retrieved tissue is shown in the figure below. Failure of which of the following embryologic processes is most likely responsible for this patient's lesion?

Question

A 13-year-old child is brought to the clinic because he is having increasing trouble breathing, hoarseness, and dysphagia. The symptoms began gradually six months ago but have drastically worsened in the last four weeks. There is no skin rash, pharyngeal discomfort, fever, weight loss, or lack of appetite. The patient's medical history is ordinary, and he or she is not on any drugs. He has received all of his planned vaccines. The patient's parents and siblings have no history of major health issues. He has normal vital signs and is in the 70th percentile for height and weight. A big, red lingual tumor is discovered during an oropharyngeal examination. The mass is then excised from the patient; histopathologic preparation of the retrieved tissue is shown in the figure below.  Failure of which of the following embryologic processes is most likely responsible for this patient's lesion?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The thyroid gland is formed from evagination of the pharyngeal epithelium and descends to the lower neck.  Due to failure of migration, the thyroid can reside anywhere along the thyroglossal duct's usual path, including the tongue (lingual thyroid).

A 13-Year-Old Child Is Brought to the Clinic Because He