Paragangliomas are uncommon neuroendocrine tumors, arising from the neural crest-derived paraganglia of the autonomic nervous system
Paraganglioma adjacent to or inside the thyroid gland is a subset of laryngeal paragangliomas, which was first described in the right upper lobe of the thyroid gland by Van Miert in 1964
Because thyroid paragangliomas arise from the inferior laryngeal paraganglia, one theory is that as paraganglioma develops from the inferior laryngeal paraganglia, it is slowly pulled downward and eventually rests lateral to the thyroid gland
It is also probable that the inferior laryngeal paraganglia may form within the thyroid capsule, which could eventually develop into an intrathyroidal paraganglioma.