The thyroglossal duct is the embryonic tube along which the thyroid descends from the back of the tongue to the front of the neck. It normally disappears, leaving a pit (foramen caecum) on the tongue and sometimes a pyramidal lobe.
| Location | Midline, from the foramen caecum of the tongue past the hyoid bone to the thyroid isthmus |
|---|---|
| Nerve Supply | None of importance |
| Blood Supply | Branches of the lingual and superior thyroid arteries (to remnants) |
| Venous drainage |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Guides thyroid descent in the embryo; no function after it regresses.
Remnants can form a thyroglossal cyst, the most common congenital neck lump, which lies in the midline and moves up when the tongue is stuck out. Treatment (Sistrunk operation) removes the cyst with the middle of the hyoid bone to prevent recurrence.
A midline neck cyst that rises with tongue protrusion and may become infected.
Thyroid tissue that failed to descend, found at the back of the tongue.
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