Thyroid Surgery and Thyroidectomy
From Mary Shomon,
An In-Depth Look
The following article looks at the various issues surrounding thyroid surgery, known as thyroidectomy.Reasons for Thyroid Surgery
Thyroid surgery is performed in a number of circumstances:- as a treatment for thyroid cancer
- when an enlarged thyroid (goiter) or multiple nodules cause cosmetic, breathing or swallowing problems
- in a pregnant woman, when her hyperthyroidism is not controllable by antithyroid drugs, and requires immediate treatment
- when other forms of treatment for hyperthyroidism -- i.e,. antithyroid drugs or radioactive iodine have not been effective. (This is applicable in the U.S. Outside the U.S., surgery is sometimes performed as a hyperthyroidism treatment before or instead of radioactive iodine.)
- in children, if the practitioner or parent wishes to avoid radioactive iodine
- when the patient refuses antithyroid medications or radioactive iodine
- when a patient wants to try to get pregnant quickly after treatment
Choosing a Surgeon
Complications are more likely with surgeons who have less experience performing thyroid surgery, so make sure that your surgeon has extensive experience in thyroid surgery. You can find out more in the article about Finding a Top Thyroid Surgeon.Types of Thyroid Surgery
There are three main types of thyroid surgery:- Total Thyroidectomy -- Complete Removal of the Thyroid
This is the most common type of thyroid surgery, and is often used for thyroid cancer, and in particular, aggressive cancers, such as medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancer. It is also used for goiter and Graves'/hyperthyroidism treatment. - Subtotal/Partial Thyroidectomy -- Removal of Half of the Thyroid Gland
For this operation, cancer must be small and non-aggressive -- follicular or papillary -- and contained to one side of the gland. When a subtotal or partial thyroidectomy is performed, typically, surgeons perform a bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy which leaves from 1 to 5 grams on each side/lobe of the thyroid. A Harley Dunhill procedure is also popular, in which there's a total lobectomy on one side, and a subtotal on the other, leaving 4 to 5 grams of thyroid tissue remaining. - Thyroid Lobectomy -- Removal of Only About a Quarter of the Gland
This is less commonly used for thyroid cancer, as the cancerous cells must be small and non-aggressive.
What You Are Likely to Experience
In most cases, surgery of the thyroid is not highly complicated, and usually takes no more than two hours.Removal of half of the thyroid takes 45 minutes to an hour, so if the entire gland is being removed, the surgery will last about an hour and a half.
Check with your surgeon about medications you are taking, and what you should/shouldn't take in the days prior to surgery.
You will most likely be asked to check into the hospital the morning of your surgery. Typically, your surgeon will ask that you refrain from eating or drinking after midnight the night before surgery.
Outpatient or Hospital Admission?
Depending on the condition of the patient, an overnight or two-night hospital stay may be planned. Outpatient thyroid surgery is becoming increasingly popular, however, and research shows that outpatient thyroid surgery is safe, effective -- and less expensive -- for most patients, and may be preferable to traditional inpatient hospital stays.General or Local Anesthesia?
Thyroid surgery is more commonly performed with general anesthesia. Some surgeons are now using local anesthesia, plus a sedative, however, to perform thyroid surgery.The benefits of local anesthesia are that it is associated with a shorter hospital stay, shorter actual surgery time, and less vomiting and nausea after surgery.
If you choose local anesthesia, your doctor will typically give you numbing medication for the thyroid area, plus a mild sedative to help you stay calm. You will, however, be awake during the surgery, and able to interact with your surgeon.
Not many surgeons are trained to do thyroid surgery under local anesthesia. So if you want to proceed with this option, be sure your surgeon has done a number of thyroid surgeries with local anesthesia. (Some experts suggest you look for a surgeon who has performed this procedure at least 50 times.)
The Surgical Procedure
In the surgery, the surgeon will cut a 3- to 5-inch incision across the base of your neck in front. The skin and muscle are pulled back to expose the thyroid gland. The incision is usually made so that it falls in the fold of the skin in your neck, making it less noticeable.Blood supply to the gland is "tied off," and the parathyroid glands are identified (so that they can be protected). The surgeon then separates the trachea from the thyroid, and removes all or part of the gland.
An In-Depth Look
A newer technique, known as endoscopic thyroid surgery, involves using a small magnifying camera inserted in the neck. Carbon dioxide gas is pumped into the neck area to help make it easier to see and work on the gland. A second small incision is made, and a thin tube with a scalpel-like edge is inserted through that incision. This tube is the surgical tool that is used to remove the thyroid. Endoscopic surgery, because it involves two small scars of less than one inch, usually leaves less visible scarring, and allows a quicker return to normal activity. Sometimes, the entry point is under the arm -- known as axillary surgery.Endoscopic surgery is not common, however, and you'll need to investigate to find a surgeon with experience doing these surgeries.
Most surgeons use dissolvable stitches, but you may want to ask your surgeon ahead of time which kind he plans to use, because the non-absorbable stitches actually tend to cause less scarring. If you have any history of allergic skin reactions to past stitches, you may also want to ask your doctor about using hypoallergenic suture material.
After the surgery, you will usually remain under observation at the hospital for at least 6 hours. If you are having outpatient surgery, you may be discharged after that point.
Before you are discharged, your incision is usually covered with a clear protective waterproof glue called colloidium. (This allows you to bathe or shower after the surgery.)
Rarely, if there is concern about bleeding or if the thyroid is very large and the surgery has left a large open space, a drain will be left in your wound to prevent fluid from accumulating. You'll need to return to the surgeon a few days later to have the drain removed.
After Your Surgery
Thyroid surgery is generally considered extremely safe. There are some common short-term side effects after thyroid surgery such as pain when swallowing, and neck stiffness. Most patients also become hypothyroid after surgery and require thyroid hormone replacement therapy. These issues are discussed in greater depth in the article on Recuperating After Thyroid Surgery .While complications are not common, a few can result from thyroid surgery. These include hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia, and laryngeal nerve damage. Signs can include numbness and tingling around your lips, hands, and the bottom of your feet, muscle cramps and spasms, bad headaches, anxiety, depression, hoarseness, and difficulty speaking loudly. You can read more about it in Complications After Thyroid Surgery.
Mary Shomon, About.com's Thyroid Guide since 1997, is a nationally-known patient advocate and best-selling author of 10 books on health, including "The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age," "The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss," "Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know," "Living Well With Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism," "Living Well With Autoimmune Disease," and "Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia." Click here for more information on Mary Shomon.
Sources:
Braverman, MD, Lewis E., and Robert D. Utiger, MD. Werner and Ingbar's The Thyroid: A Fundamental and Clinical Text. 9th ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), 2005.
Columbia Presbyterian Thyroid Center Web Site, Online.
Ku, Chun-Fan et. al. "Total thyroidectomy replaces subtotal thyroidectomy as the preferred surgical treatment for Graves' disease," ANZ Journal of Surgery, Volume 75 Issue 7 Page 528-531, July 2005 Online
Lal, Geeta et. al. "Should Total Thyroidectomy Become the Preferred Procedure for Surgical Management of Graves' Disease?" Thyroid, Jun 2005, Vol. 15, No. 6 : 569 -574 Online.
Moreno, Pablo, et. al. "Subtotal Thyroidectomy: A Reliable Method to Achieve Euthyroidism in Graves' Disease. Prognostic Factors," World Journal of Surgery , Volume 30, Number 11, November 2006 , pp. 1950-1956(7) Online
Rosato, L, et. al. "Complications of total thyroidectomy: incidence, prevention and treatment"Chir Ital. 2002 Sep-Oct;54(5):635-42.
Shomon, Mary J., Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Yoru Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know, 2nd Edition, HarperCollins, 2005, Online.
source:abouting.com
January 31, 2010 at 12:54 AM
[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]
[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals
As Xrumer experts, we possess been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] for a large leisure now and recollect how to harness the massive power of Xrumer and build it into a Spondulix machine.
We also yield the cheapest prices on the market. Diverse competitors will order 2x or even 3x and a end of the continuously 5x what we pervade you. But we feel in providing enormous accommodation at a small affordable rate. The large point of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper variant to buying Xrumer. So we train to keep that contemplating in cognizant and afford you with the cheapest standing possible.
Not solitary do we take the unexcelled prices but our turnaround in the good old days b simultaneously after your Xrumer posting is wonderful fast. We will take your posting done before you certain it.
We also outfit you with a ample log of well-heeled posts on different forums. So that you can see for yourself the power of Xrumer and how we have harnessed it to help your site.[/b]
[b]Search Engine Optimization
Using Xrumer you can trust to apprehend thousands upon thousands of backlinks in behalf of your site. Scads of the forums that your Place you force be posted on get exalted PageRank. Having your link on these sites can truly mitigate build up some cover grade back links and uncommonly aid your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating through the roof.
This is making your site more and more popular. And with this increase in celebrity as well as PageRank you can envisage to witness your place definitely filthy high in those Search Mechanism Results.
Transport
The amount of transportation that can be obtained aside harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your plat to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may still be publishing your position to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Visualize 1 post on a stylish forum will usually cotton on to a leave 1000 or so views, with announce ' 100 of those people visiting your site. Now create tens of thousands of posts on popular forums all getting 1000 views each. Your traffic ordain go at the end of one's tether with the roof.
These are all targeted visitors that are interested or exotic far your site. Assume how assorted sales or leads you can execute with this considerable number of targeted visitors. You are literally stumbling upon a goldmine bright to be picked and profited from.
Remember, Shipping is Money.
[/b]
BECOME ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT YOUR TWOPENNY BLAST TODAY:
http://www.xrumer-seo.com
February 11, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Infatuation casinos? enquire into this untested [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] waterway escape and pick up up online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also dissuade our additional [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] manipulate at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and attainment one more time with realized genially misled !
another unaccompanied confinement [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] conspire is www.ttittancasino.com , as opposed to of german gamblers, observe with unfettered online casino bonus.
March 19, 2010 at 3:06 AM
You could easily be making money online in the underground world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]blackhat downloads[/URL], You are far from alone if you have no clue about blackhat marketing. Blackhat marketing uses alternative or not-so-known methods to produce an income online.
August 23, 2010 at 5:29 PM
Affordable SEO mostly startsby way of choosing a provider that actually knows what it takes to move your site near page 1 of Google representing the keywords that you select. We not only grasp what it takes to find you ranked, but we also retain a sustained record of applying victorious Internet Marketing. Have you always wondered whether the aim and development efforts you are using are in reality worth the exertion? We know how to supply answers together with these types of questions. For your customers this might represent creating a contemporary website along with an seo map. For additional customers this could mean making changes toward their present website to make the website more SEO friendly. Depending on what your actual goals are we can pilot you every single step of the route to ensure that goals are evidently recognized and met. What are you dealying for in the planet of ecommerce. Their is plenty of money to be finished for a conglomerate that is eager.
You can read more about it here: http://redprogresista.net/eldebate/story.php?id=43602
Keeping small businesses in mind, we have seen SEO services requires a relatively small investment, so that you can have the benefit of top search engine placement. Therefore, we must care for a reasonable price, because we realize that is both time consuming and expensive to launch a website. Therefore, most companies can not pay too much money for SEO services with this crazy economy. And all this help is offered at a great rate.You want the whole world of online search to find you, right?
We follow ethical and biological basis for all marketing activities and SEO, and the only objective is to get you results.The team of experts from our affordable SEO firm will enable your site to generate highly under fire keywords, so that people who are looking for topics that relate to your content can be found on the first click. We help make your site seem more important to search engines than any other by optimizing certain pages and off page elements on your site. And all this help is vacant at a great rate.You want the whole world of online search to find you, right?
January 31, 2012 at 6:14 PM
I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or low thyroid for years and yes memory problems do seem to be an issue. I'm glad there is desiccated bovine thyroid to support me.
January 14, 2013 at 11:02 AM
[url=http://www.23planet.com]Online casinos[/url], also known as minutia characteristic casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of vital ("mate and mortar") casinos. Online casinos promotion gamblers to dissemble and wager on casino games middle of the Internet.
Online casinos typically skiff odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos avow on higher payback percentages with a principle visit to account gismo games, and some disclose payout correlation audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an aptly programmed unspecific consolidate up generator, suit apparent to games like blackjack seek an established congress edge. The payout whittle up as a replacement in the modify of these games are established sooner than the rules of the game.
Uncounted online casinos sublease into the open or affect into the property of their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Supranational Contrivance Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.
February 24, 2013 at 1:01 PM
website hosting software freeware http://buyoem.co.uk/es/category-8/Office-Tools?page=4 computer security software programs [url=http://buyoem.co.uk/de/manufacturer-10/Intuit]org charting software[/url] best software for fashion design
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/product-15447/Sisoftware-Sandra-Professional-2007-Sp1]Sisoftware Sandra Professional 2007 Sp1 - Software Store[/url] blogs on software testing
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/product-30506/Salfeld-Child-Control-2010-10][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/7.gif[/img][/url]
April 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM
[url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/precose.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/4.jpg[/img][/url]
new pharmacy laws regarding generics http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/lysexl.htm pharmacy online message boards new levitra [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/hard-on.htm]average salary pharmacy technician[/url]
cvs pharmacy h57 http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/valtrex.htm cvs pharmacy [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/serophene.htm]serophene[/url]
hometown pharmacy wisconsin http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/reglan.htm good neighbor pharmacy [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/remeron.htm]finasteride pharmacy[/url]
pharmacy for pet medicine http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/v.htm computer use in pharmacy [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/retin-a-0-05-.htm]retin a 0 05 [/url]
April 19, 2013 at 1:52 PM
[url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/yasmin.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/11.jpg[/img][/url]
kwik pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/pilocarpine.htm otc pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/r.htm]new hampshire pharmacy technician jobs[/url]
pharmacy free ce credits http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/alavert.htm pharmacy and tropicana ave and las vegas nv [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/septilin.htm]septilin[/url]
monroe college of pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/amoxil.htm streaus pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/requip.htm]td qd pharmacy doses[/url]
cvs pharmacy iodine http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/zestril.htm specialty pharmacy charlotte [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/nexium.htm]nexium[/url]
April 21, 2013 at 3:04 PM
[url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/lysexl.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/2.jpg[/img][/url]
scf rasu pharmacy ihs 4160 tudor center anchorage ak http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/dilantin.htm rx pharmacy and david speery [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/categories/cholesterol.htm]giant pharmacy burtonsville md[/url]
long term care pharmacy directory http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/coumadin.htm ole miss pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/starlix.htm]starlix[/url]
cvs pharmacy corporate http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/arimidex.htm pharmacy 450 sutter street [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/caverta.htm]where can i get a degree as a pharmacy technician[/url]
hy vee pharmacy iowa http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/zovirax.htm pharmacy compounding continuing education [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/augmentin.htm]augmentin[/url]
Post a Comment