Intratracheal thyroid--familial occurrence.

The presence of thyroid tissue within the tracheal lumen is an unusual cause of upper respiratory obstruction. Thyroid tissue in this location may represent true ectopic thyroid or may be caused by invasion of the trachea by a malignant process. This paper presents two patients from the same family who were found to have thyroid tissue in the trachea. The first illustrates the clinical course of a thyroid malignancy within the trachea, and the second had a true ectopic intratracheal thyroid mass. The embryology, diagnosis, and management of ectopic intratracheal thyroid are outlined.