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A 43-year-old woman who was undergoing surgery could not be intubated for the administration of anesthesia because of an unusually narrow oropharynx. Ultrasonography showed a round, solid tumor about 3 cm in diameter at the base of the tongue — a finding that was verified by scintigraphy with technetium-99m labeling, as performed by the Department of Nuclear Medicine, as a lingual thyroid. Although it is not a commonly performed procedure, ablation with iodine-131 appears to be a safe and effective therapeutic alternative to surgery in patients with a benign symptomatic lingual thyroid. The patient underwent successful radioablation and has done well while receiving thyroid hormone–replacement therapy.
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