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The ENT, Allergy & Immunology Center of Sadler Clinic
Surgery Of The Thyroid Gland
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 Thyroid gland surgery involves removing part or all of the thyroid gland, which is located low in the center part of the neck, wrapped around the front of the windpipe, or trachea. The most common reason for thyroid gland removal is to help diagnose whether a lump in the gland (usually called a nodule) is a cancerous growth. While needle biopsies can be done to help determine if a nodule has cancer in it, sometimes the results of a needle biopsy are uncertain. Another reason to remove a thyroid gland is for an overactive gland that cannot be controlled with medication. This condition called hyperthyroidism or Grave's disease is fairly rare.
Thyroid surgery is performed in an operating room, with the patient fully asleep under general anesthesia. The incision that is made in the skin is placed low in the neck and runs horizontally, often in a natural skin line. Patints usually spend just one night in the hospital, going home the next day.
All surgical procedures has potential risks, such as bleeding, infection or scarring. There are two risks that are unique to thyroid surgery because of the anatomy in the area. On both sides, between the thyroid gland and the trachea runs a nerve about the size of heavy string. This nerve moves muscles that move the vocal cords, so if the nerve is cut a patient can be permanently hoarse. The other special risk of thyroid surgery involves four fragile little glands nearby called the parathyroids the regulate the amount of calcium in the blood.
Thyroid surgery is usually performed by either ENT surgeons (also called head and neck surgeons), which is my specialty, or by general surgeons. Both types of doctors usually train for five years after medical school.
» Other Questions About The Thyroid Gland
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OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(EAR, NOSE, THROAT & SINUS)
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