Lingual thyroid: report of three cases.

Lingual thyroid is a rare developmental disorder and is more frequent in women. The pathogenesis is unclear but may be related to the presence of maternal blocking autoantibodies against the thyroid. Treatment of this disorder includes the use of levothyroxine in order to correct the hypothyroidism, which is very frequent and to induce the shrinkage of the gland. When symptoms of obstruction or bleeding appear, ablative therapy by means of surgery or radioiodine is warranted. We report three cases and discuss the approach to diagnosis and a strategy for management.