Thyroid Surgery

As part of the endocrine system, the thyroid glands help regulate the body's metabolism. Sometimes the thyroids produce too many (hyperthyroidism) or too few (hypothyroidism) hormones, disrupting this balance. Thyroidectomy surgery removes the glands or reduces their size to retain proper hormone distribution when medication proves insufficient.

Surgery may be beneficial for patients with:

• Hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis
• Hypothyroidism with enlargement (hypertrophy) of the gland
• Thyroid cancer
• Nontoxic goiter
• Hashimoto's disease (a type of hypothyroidism)

Patients whose thyroid problems are unresponsive to drugs and who do not want radioactive iodine treatment may also want to consider surgery. Subtotal thyroidectomy is more common than total thyroidectomy. Its is often performed with the goal of leaving just enough thyroid tissue to produce a normal amount of hormones.

Learn more about thyroid and parathyroid surgery from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

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