Wei YANG, Yusheng YE, Liangyu GAN
Balkan Medical Journal - 2026;43(6):355-356
We report a case of a left submandibular ectopic parathyroid adenoma (EPA) with a tortuous diagnostic course, highlighting potential misdiagnoses and key diagnostic strategies. A 51-year-old male office worker presented with an incidentally discovered left submandibular mass persisting for 6 months and a newly detected thyroid nodule for 1 month. Initially, the submandibular mass was misdiagnosed as reactive lymphadenopathy at a local clinic, where only physical examination was performed without imaging or serological tests. Five months later, another hospital misdiagnosed the same mass as a schwannoma based on neck ultrasound, during which a TI-RADS 4A nodule in the upper pole of the right thyroid was incidentally identified. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the neck prompted referral for surgical evaluation.
