Endocrine Surgery

This page expands more on endocrine surgery and what you need to know.

Thyroid

What is the thyroid?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ in the neck under the voice box, it lies against and around the windpipe at the base of the throat. The thyroid produces thyroid hormone which helps the body to make energy, stay warm, and helps the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs to function as they should. Your body can not survive without thyroid hormone.

Surgery of the thyroid

Surgery is recommended for a number of reasons. These include treatment of:

benign (‘’non-cancerous’’) and
malignant (“cancerous’’) growths of the thyroid,
a very large thyroid (goitre) causing problems with breathing or swallowing because of its size
and sometimes an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

Surgery might also be indicated if the mass in your thyroid is suspicious for a cancer, and we can’t prove it otherwise with our biopsy. We call this ‘’diagnostic’’ surgery.

What are the risks of surgery?

The most important risks of surgery include:

Bleeding after surgery

Injury to the voice nerve that makes your vocal cords work, which can make you hoarse
Injury to the glands (parathyroid glands located in the neck behind the thyroid gland) that control calcium levels in your blood

These risks are higher in patients undergoing surgery for cancer and removal of lymph nodes, a second or third operation, and for large thyroid glands that extend behind the sternum.

These risks are less than 1%, but each patient differs, and your surgeon will explain to your specific benefits and risks of the surgery when you need to give permission for the operation.

Here are links to follow for some more information: