Abstract
BACKGROUND: Esophageal cysts are relatively rare in clinical practice, with most of the literature comprising case reports. Esophageal cysts protruding into the thyroid gland are easily misdiagnosed as thyroid tumors. No such cases have been reported so far. CASE SUMMARY: This article reports the case of a 31-year-old adult male diagnosed with thyroid nodules before admission. The patient underwent left thyroidectomy and isthmusectomy. During the surgery, esophageal cysts were identified in the esophageal muscle and thyroid glands. The pathology results confirmed a nodular goiter combined with esophageal cysts. Postoperatively, the patient developed a neck infection and underwent another operation and broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment for recovery. CONCLUSION: We report the first clinical case of an esophageal cyst located within the thyroid gland that was successfully treated surgically. Esophageal cyst located within the thyroid gland cause difficulties in diagnosis. In the present study, the contents of the esophageal cysts were calcified foci, and a small amount of fluid mixture, which were easily misdiagnosed as thyroid nodules and misled the surgical methods.