In order to understand the requirements for thyroid gland surgery, it is first necessary to know what the thyroid is. The thyroid is an organ located in the anterior region of the neck and attracts attention with its resemblance to a butterfly. By secreting certain hormones, the thyroid gland ensures the healthy functioning of many body functions. Too much or too little secretion of thyroid hormones can be the cause of many serious diseases.
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General Surgery Specialist Bülent Çitgez, who works at Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital and serves in the fields of Breast - Endocrine Surgery, successfully performs all thyroid surgery procedures with his expertise in endocrine surgery and shares these services through “bulentcitgez.com” address.
What are Thyroid Surgery Methods?
Thyroid operations can be performed for thyroid cancer, benign nodules, overactive thyroid gland, large thyroid gland (goiter) and different thyroid disorders. Successful Surgeon Bülent Çitgez's information about the thyroid surgery methods he applies is given below:
- Lobectomy; It is applied by removing half of the thyroid gland.
- Subtotal thyroidectomy; It is applied by removing almost the entire thyroid gland (approximately 1 cm of thyroid tissue is left on one side). It is not practiced except in compulsory cases.
- Total thyroidectomy is performed by removing the entire thyroid tissue. It is the most common operation performed today.
These types of operations have some risks. One of the main risks of thyroid surgery is that it may cause damage to the parathyroid glands that regulate calcium levels and the recurrent and external laryngeal nerves that control the vocal cords.
Situations in which Surgical Operation is Necessary
According to General Surgery Specialist Bülent Çitgez, the most common conditions requiring thyroid surgery are operations to remove thyroid nodules that are suspicious as a result of fine needle aspiration biopsy. Today, the operation is decided according to the BETHESDA system, which is a pathologic classification.
- Nondiagnostic; Inadequate and unclear biopsy result (must be repeated at least twice)
- Benign
- Cytologic atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS)
- Suspicion of follicular neoplasia
- Suspicion of malignancy (most commonly papillary cancer)
- Malignant (most commonly papillary cancer)
Of these, malignant, suspected malignant, follicular neoplasia requires definitive surgery. Nondiagnostic (inadequate) and atypical patients of uncertain significance should be operated on according to ultrasound findings and the patient's clinic.
Surgery in Thyroid Cancer
Bülent Çitgez shares that if thyroid cancer is detected, the first method to be considered should be surgical intervention. The nature of the surgical intervention varies according to the stage of the cancer. After the surgical operation, treatment is continued with radioactive iodine therapy and hormone medications. If the cancer has spread to the lymph node, the entire thyroid gland must be removed during surgery. If there is spread to the lymph nodes, the lymph nodes may also need to be removed.
