Thyroid Surgery
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Desert West Surgery
General & Minimally Invasive Surgeons & Surgical Oncologists located in Las Vegas, NV
A lump at the base of your neck or changes in your voice are two signs that you have a condition requiring thyroid surgery. The thyroid is such a small gland that it’s important to have the highly skilled doctors at Desert West Surgery perform your surgery using the precision and touch that only come from their years of experience. If you have questions about thyroid surgery or you’d like to schedule an appointment, use online booking or call one of the three offices in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Thyroid Surgery Q & A
When might I need thyroid surgery?
You may need thyroid surgery to remove a noncancerous thyroid nodule when it’s large enough to cause problems with breathing or swallowing. If a fluid-filled nodule or cyst returns after it has been drained once or twice, surgery may be recommended to get rid of the problem. Surgery is also used to diagnose and treat thyroid cancer.
What symptoms develop when I have thyroid nodules or cancer?
When thyroid cancer gets large enough to cause symptoms, you’ll experience one or more of the following:
- Lump at the base of your neck
- Hoarseness or other changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Pain in your neck and throat
- Swollen lymph nodes
Nodules seldom cause symptoms, but some may grow large enough to be felt or seen at the bottom of your neck.
What is a goiter?
A goiter occurs when your thyroid gland becomes abnormally enlarged. You can develop a goiter from hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and lack of iodine, although that’s not common in the United States. A goiter is surgically removed when it becomes uncomfortable or makes it hard to breathe or swallow.
What are the different types of thyroid surgery?
Your surgeon typically recommends one of the following three types of surgery, depending on your underlying condition:
Total thyroidectomy
The entire thyroid gland and lymph nodes surrounding the gland are removed. This procedure is preferred when you have thyroid cancer.
Thyroid lobectomy, with or without an isthmectomy
Your thyroid consists of two lobes or sides, which are connected by a bridge called the isthmus. When you have a nodule on one side, your surgeon only removes that one lobe. If cancer is suspected, the isthmus is also removed. The lobe and the isthmus are examined under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells.
Subtotal (near-total) thyroidectomy
During this procedure, which is used for hyperthyroidism, your surgeon at Desert West Surgery removes all of one lobe, the isthmus, and most of the second lobe. As a result, there’s enough of the gland left to produce hormones.
When you need surgery for a thyroid condition, call Desert West Surgery or schedule an appointment using the online booking feature.