Endocrine Surgery
Goitre Surgery
Surgeon John Budd in theatre
A goitre (swelling of the thyroid gland) may interfere with your swallowing, breathing or be cosmetically undesirable and surgery may be required.
Goitre surgery may require half (lobectomy) or all(total thryoidectomy) of the thyroid gland to be removed.
The surgeon will attempt to remove enough of your thyroid gland to relieve your symptoms, while leaving enough so that normal thyroid hormone production can continue. However, in some cases, this is not always possible and you may require thyroxine replacement therapy after surgery.
Surgery is generally safe, but all surgical procedures carry the risks of complications.
Possible complications include:
- You may notice some change in your voice but this is usually short lived and rarely permanent
- You may experience some damage to the parathyroid glands. The parathyroid glands help to regulate the amount of calcium in your body. If they are damaged, you will probably need to take calcium supplements for the rest of your life.
- There may be some post operative bruising and wound infection. Very rarely, it may be necessary to return to theatre if a blood clot forms under the wound.