What is a Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. It is shaped like a butterfly and the wings or lobes of the thyroid wrap around the windpipe (trachea).
The thyroid produces and stores hormones that regulate vital body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Thyroid hormones also control metabolism or the rate that food is converted to energy. For this reason, the thyroid gland affects every cell in the body and alterations in its function have wide ranging effects.
What is a Thyroidectomy?
A Thyroidectomy is the surgical removal of the thyroid gland. There are several circumstances where Thyroidectomy may be necessary.
- Remove cancerous tumors
- Treat thyroid storm
- Enlarged thyroid (goiter) that is causing breathing or swallowing problems
- Hyperthyroidism not controlled by medical treatment
- Remove and evaluate thyroid nodule
Depending on the underlying problem, the surgeons of Surgical Consultants of Hollywood will perform one of the following procedures using advanced endoscopic surgery whenever possible.
- Thyroid lobectomy: All of one thyroid lobe is removed.
- Thyroid lobectomy with isthmusectomy: All of one thyroid lobe is removed, together with the thyroid isthmus.
- Subtotal thyroidectomy: One thyroid lobe, the isthmus and part of the second lobe are removed.
- Total thyroidectomy: The entire thyroid gland is removed.