Iodine 131 ablation of an obstructive lingual thyroid

A 48-year-old woman undergoing surgery could not be intubated because of an oropharyngeal mass. CT and MRI revealed a 3 cm possible lingual thyroid mass, confirmed by Iodine-123 SPECT/CT. The patient underwent successful Iodine-131 ablation and has done well on thyroid hormone-replacement therapy. This case also demonstrates how modern cross-sectional imaging like SPECT/CT can appropriately be used in the patient diagnosis and management, and is of additional interest for including pre- and post-therapy MRI documenting efficacy morphologically.