Your thyroid is a small gland located at the front of your neck. As part of the endocrine system, it controls many of your body’s functions by producing and releasing hormones. The hormones your thyroid releases affect your metabolism, heart rate, breathing, digestion, body temperature, mental activity, skin and bone maintenance, fertility and brain development. When your thyroid stops working as it should, any of these systems can be disrupted. Surgery is one treatment route for thyroid issues.
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Surgery Types
When certain conditions alter normal thyroid structure or function, surgical removal of the thyroid gland is performed. This is usually done when thyroid cancer has been detected, if an otherwise benign thyroid nodule grows so large it causes problems or if the thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism) and does not respond to treatment with medications or radioactive iodine.
Thyroid surgery is known as a thyroidectomy. Two types of procedures are performed: subtotal thyroidectomy, which removes part of the gland, or a total thyroidectomy to remove the entire gland.
Subtotal thyroidectomy may be performed for large, benign (noncancerous) thyroid nodules, isolated overactive thyroid nodules or for certain cases of low-grade thyroid cancer.
In a total thyroidectomy, the entire gland and potentially the surrounding lymph nodes are removed. Total thyroidectomy may be performed if the entire thyroid is enlarged (goiter) and causing compression, some cases of hyperthyroidism or in more advanced cases of thyroid cancer.
Recovery
After surgery the patient may be given drugs to suppress thyroid hormone production and potentially radioactive iodine. Overall, the surgery is considered safe, but may lead to complications that include injury to the vocal cords and larynx (which could cause hoarseness, changes in the voice and problems speaking or swallowing), injury to the parathyroid glands (which could cause hypoparathyroidism, a separate condition in which too little parathyroid hormone is produced), difficulty breathing and the usual risks associated with most surgical procedures (bleeding and infection).
Call Carolina Ear Nose & Throat – Sinus and Allergy Center at (828) 322-2183 for more information or to schedule an appointment.