The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck that regulates the body's metabolism. It has two lobes united by a narrow band of tissue called the isthmus. Surgery is used for a variety of thyroid disorders, including cancer and enlarged or overactive thyroid gland, reports the American Thyroid Association.
What procedure the doctor chooses depends on the type of thyroid disease the patient has and its anatomical location. The chief risk of thyroid surgery is damage to nearby tissue, including glands and nerves controlling the vocal cords. Other risks are Infection and bleeding.
Thyroid Lobectomy
A thyroid lobectomy, removal of a thyroid lobe, is the least invasive surgical procedure for the thyroid, reports EndocrineWeb. It is performed in patients with a single thyroid nodule---lump in the thyroid---that may be malignant, and small cancers that have not spread out of the gland. It also is used for inflammation of only one lobe, which is extremely uncommon.
Thyroid Lobectomy and Isthmusectomy
This procedure is more extensive, in that the isthmus, the tissue connecting the two halves of the thyroid, is removed too, explains EndocrineWeb. This surgery is performed for certain thyroid cancers, such as small and slowly growing tumors and Hurthle cell tumors, a rare subtype typically found in iodine-deficient regions, reports the American Cancer Society.
Total Thyroidectomy
A total thyroidectomy, removal of the entire thyroid gland, is the most common surgery for people with thyroid cancer, reports MayoClinic.com. The surgeon tries to leave a bit of tissue around the parathyroid glands. If the cancer is extensive, nearby lymph glands are removed as well, reports the American Thyroid Association.
Subtotal Thyroidectomy
Subtotal thyroidectomy is removal of the affected lobe, isthmus, and most of the opposite lobe, reports EndocrineWeb.com. The surgery is used for small, slowly growing cancers and nodules causing complications, such as difficulty in breathing or swallowing, reports MayoClinic.com. it is also used for large goiters, swelling of the entire gland, that press onto blood vessels or airways.
