A thyroidectomy is a specialized surgical procedure designed to remove all or part of the thyroid gland. This surgery can be performed using traditional open or minimally invasive techniques, and the medical name for this procedure remains “Thyroidectomy” (either total or partial, depending on how much tissue is removed).

About the Thyroid

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. Its main purpose is to produce hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.

Removal of the entire thyroid gland will stop natural hormone production, but it is not associated with long-term impairment of a normal lifestyle for most people, provided they take a daily synthetic thyroid hormone pill to replace what the gland used to produce. If only part of the thyroid is removed, the remaining portion can often still function normally.

What causes thyroid problems?

Thyroid problems that require surgical removal are usually caused by the presence of thyroid cancer, large noncancerous enlargements (goiters), suspicious thyroid nodules, or an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).

It is uncertain exactly why some people develop thyroid nodules or goiters, but risk factors include being female, advancing age, prior radiation exposure to the neck, and having a family history of thyroid disease. There is no known means to completely prevent these conditions.

These issues may cause the gland to swell significantly, resulting in a visible lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing or breathing, changes in your voice, and symptoms of severe hormone imbalance.

How are these problems found and treated?

Physical examinations, blood tests (to check hormone levels), and ultrasounds are most commonly used to find and evaluate thyroid problems. In more complex cases, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy or a radioactive iodine scan may be used to definitively diagnose thyroid disease.

Certain thyroid conditions do not go away on their own. Some issues, like mild hyperthyroidism, can be temporarily managed by taking specialized medications or using radioactive iodine therapy. However, for confirmed cancer, highly suspicious nodules, or large goiters that compress the windpipe or esophagus, non-surgical treatment has a low success rate or is inappropriate. Symptoms and health risks will eventually continue unless the problematic tissue is removed.

Surgical removal of the thyroid is the time-honored and safest treatment for resolving compressive goiters, definitive treatment of thyroid cancer, and managing severe cases of overactive thyroid.