Thyroid Surgery - What Should You Know?

The reason for the thyroid surgery mainly determines which type of operation will be suitable for you. For instance, total thyroidectomy is performed when the surgeon finds it crucial to remove the entire gland. Thyroid lobectomy is done when the thyroid nodules are present in a single lobe only while subtotal thyroidectomy is done when Grave's disease is responsible for causing hyperthyroidism. Your doctor will advise on the right surgical option based on your condition.

Thyroid surgery is commonly performed operation in which a small incision is done on the skin, and the tissues and muscles are pulled away for exposing the thyroid gland. This surgery is performed for curing a host of disorders such as thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, and hypothyroidism. Though these conditions can be treated with the help of medications, when it reaches an advanced stage, surgery is required to be performed. You can avoid thyroid surgery by taking medications correctly in most cases.

If the issue is that you have thyroid nodules, then you should undergo thyroid ultrasound along with a fine-needle aspiration. On the other hand, if you have lesions that lead to suspicion of medullary thyroid cancer should, the doctor would consider doing an ultrasound in the lateral neck compartments. CT imaging in the neck is also recommended particularly in the patients who have goiters. Moreover, the functions of the vocal cord are required to be evaluated before undergoing surgery. You should follow all the instructions of your surgeon to steer clear from the risks of thyroid surgery.

Thyroid surgery is generally considered safe, but like all other surgeries, it can lead to various complications. These include hoarseness of voice since the nerves responsible for controlling the voice may be affected during the surgery. On the other hand, in case the parathyroid glands have been damaged or removed mistakenly, then it may cause hypoparathyroidism. An experienced surgeon will ensure certain precautions are taken to avoid such complications.