A thyroidectomy treatment is the surgical removal of all or part of the thyroid gland. Indeed, the thyroid is a small gland that takes the shape of a butterfly, which is in the lower part of the neck. It produces hormones that control your entire metabolism, for controlling your heart rate to the rate at which your body burns calories.
Thyroid treatment: the process
Thyroidectomy treats thyroid disorders such as cancer, a noncancerous enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), and an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
The amount of thyroid gland removed during the operation depends on the reason for the surgery itself: If you only need to remove part of your thyroid gland (partial thyroidectomy), your thyroid gland may function normally after surgery. If the entire thyroid gland is removed (total thyroidectomy), you need daily treatment with thyroid hormones to replace normal thyroid function.
The thyroidectomy procedure, Turkey
Your doctor may recommend a thyroidectomy if you have conditions such as:
- Thyroid cancer: Cancer is the main cause of thyroidectomy. If you have thyroid cancer, removing most, if not all, of your thyroid gland is the correct course of your treatment.
- Non-cancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland (goiter). Thus, removal of all or part of the thyroid gland is optional, if you have an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) that causes difficulty in breathing or swallowing, or in some cases if the Goiter causes an overactive thyroid gland.
- An overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). An overactive thyroid occurs when the thyroid gland makes too much thyroxine. If you have problems with anti-thyroid medications and cannot undergo radioactive iodine treatment, then thyroidectomy is optional.
- Thyroid nodules that are not determined or suspected. This is because some thyroid nodules cannot be determined whether they are cancerous or non-cancerous after some of them are tested with a needle biopsy. Doctors may suggest thyroidectomy to people with these nodules once the nodule has an increased risk of cancer.
Complications of surgery
Thyroidectomy is usually a procedure without risks and complications. However, like any surgery, thyroidectomy has some complications.
Possible complications include :
- Bleeding
- Infection
Low thyroid hormones (hypoparathyroidism) result from surgical damage or removal of the parathyroid glands. These glands are located behind the parathyroid gland and regulate calcium in the blood. Hypoparathyroidism can cause numbness, tingling due to low levels of calcium in the blood
- Airway blockage caused by bleeding
- Permanent hoarseness or weak voice from nerve damage
The cost of thyroidectomy in the best clinics in Istanbul Turkey
The surgeon will make an incision in the middle of your neck. Thyroidectomy can often be done in skin folds that are difficult to see after the incision has healed. All or part of the thyroid gland will be removed, depending on the reason for the surgery.
If you are having a thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, your surgeon may also examine and remove the lymph nodes around your thyroid. Moreover, thyroidectomy surgery frequently lasts one to two hours in the best clinics in Turkey at affordable cost. It may take more or less time depending on the level of surgery required.
Several methods are used to remove the thyroid gland, including:
- Classic thyroidectomy: This method involves inserting an incision in the center of the neck to directly access the thyroid gland. Most patients use this procedure.
- Oral thyroidectomy: This technique involves using an incision inside the mouth.
- Endoscopic thyroidectomy: This method uses very small incisions in the neck. The incisions are used to insert surgical tools and a small video camera that helps the surgeon throughout the procedure.