Why do thyroglossal duct cyst occur?
These cysts develop during gestation when your body begins building your thyroid gland. That’s the butterfly-shaped gland that makes hormones that control your metabolism. Metabolism is the pace at which your body processes things (how fast it burns food to make energy and heat). To build the gland, thyroid cells travel from the base of your tongue to your hyoid bone. That’s a U-shaped bone that supports your tongue. Thyroid cells make that journey through what’s called the thyroglossal tract. Typically, this tract closes off and dissolves once your thyroid glands are in place. But tracts that don’t close off can fill up with fluid and mucus and become thyroglossal cysts. Researchers don’t know why some people’s tracts remain don’t dissolve.