Calcified cervical ganglia: Which etiologies to think? Which exams to order? Suggestion of line of thought and action

Abstract

Case report of a 62-year-old male patient who visited an Otolaryngologist due to a painless, slow-growing lateral cervical mass for 4 years. The patient had already undergone imaging tests that showed only 4 unilateral calcified adenopathies, without any suggestion of a potential primary tumor. On observation, in addition to hard, non-adherent adenopathies, there were no further findings. In the absence of a primary tumor and the presence of calcified adenopathies, the possible etiologies of calcified cervical adenopathies were considered and different complementary diagnostic tests were requested. Of these, thyroid ultrasound showed a nodule and the fine-needle aspiration citology (FNAC) of the cystic adenopathies showed increased levels of thyroglobulin. FNAC of the thyroid nodule revealed a possible papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and right selective cervical dissection and the diagnosis was confirmed.