How Soda Ingestion Facilitates the Distinction between a Killian–Jamieson Diverticulum and a Malignant Thyroid Nodule

Abstract

A 66-year-old woman presented with an incidental left thyroid nodule during a health examination. She had no voice change, shortness of breath, cough, or dysphagia. Repeated sonography showed a dynamic change of the lesion, which was more evident following soda consumption. A subsequent esophagography confirmed the diagnosis of a Killian–Jamieson diverticulum. This rare left-sided pharyngoesophageal diverticulum is often asymptomatic. On a sonography, air bubbles in the esophageal lumen can cause a ring-down artifact that mimics microcalcifications, which are characteristic of thyroid malignancy, and misdiagnosis may lead to unnecessary interventions, including fine-needle aspiration or thyroidectomy. A dynamic ultrasound, specifically done during soda consumption, offered a simple diagnostic distinction. No surgical intervention was pursued; the patient was monitored in the clinic.

Keywords

• Killian–Jamieson diverticulum
• thyroid nodule
• thyroid cancer
• microcalcification
• ultrasonography
• esophageal diverticulum