Thyroid Gland Surgery 2: What You Are Likely To Experience With Thyroid Surgery?

There are two main types of thyroid surgery. Total thyroidectomy includes complete removal of the thyroid gland. For thyroid cancer, this is the most common type of surgery. It can be also used for goiter and hyperthyroidism treatment. Thyroid lobectomy includes removal of half of the thyroid gland. For this procedure to be performed, cancer must be small, non-aggressive and contained to one side of the gland. It is also used for treatment of non-malignant changes of the thyroid (like cyst, adenoma, or one-lobe goiter).

In most cases, surgery of the thyroid is not very complicated, and patients recover fast. I prefer to perform thyroid surgery with the use of harmonic scalpel, a novel instrument that cuts tissue and stops bleeding at the same time, so there is almost no blood loss during the surgery. Additionally, by using harmonic scalpel I do not need ligatures to seal the blood vessels, so the introduction of foreign bodies in the operative field is obviated. Removal of half of the thyroid will take 30-45 minutes, so if the entire gland is being removed the surgery will last about an hour to hour and a half. In most of patients, neck scar is just 2-4 cm long, and almost invisible couple of months following thyroidectomy.

One-month postoperative appearance of scar after thyroidectomy 

Numerous studies have shown that complications are more likely with surgeons who have less experience performing thyroid surgery, so it is very important that your surgeon performs thyroid surgery on a constant basis (at least 30 procedures per year). Thyroid surgery is generally considered extremely safe, but depending on your condition, an overnight or two-night hospital stay may be planned. There are some common short-term side effects after thyroid surgery such as discomfort when swallowing, and neck stiffness. Most patients can slowly walk even couple of hours following the procedure. Potential complications of the surgery are postoperative dysfunction of parathyroid glands or hoarseness, but most of them are transient and resolve within a week or two. In cases when total thyroidectomy is performed, lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy is required.

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