The H-shaped thyroid gland located just below your larynx is indispensable for human growth and development. The thyroid gland utilizes iodine from dietary sources to produce triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), two essential hormones which regulate your metabolism, menstrual cycle, weight, nervous system, etc. However, any discrepancies in its function, for instance- too much or too little, or structural modifications, may throw your whole body out of tune.
Let’s talk in detail about thyroid diseases, the need for thyroidectomy, and where you can go in Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch, FL, for seamless surgery and comprehensive healthcare.
What Happens When a Thyroid is Diseased?
About 4.6 percent of Americans have sluggish thyroids, also called hypothyroidism. This chronic condition cause bradycardia (slower heart rate), weight gain, depression, and even a roundish shape to the face. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that runs in families. Another thyroid malfunction causes people to run on overdrive, known as hyperthyroidism or Graves’ disease. Their metabolic rate fastens, resulting in palpitations, nervousness, anxiety, weight loss, etc.
When Would Your Endocrinologist recommend Thyroid Removal Surgery/Thyroidectomy?
Why would a patient require thyroid removal? The most common reasons would be due to thyroid cancer, a non-cancerous enlargement of the thyroid or goiter, overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism, or suspicious nodular disease.
Thyroid cancer
Most thyroid growths are benign–up to as many as 95 percent of those analyzed. However, a small percentage of thyroid lumps are not simple nodules or cysts but rather cancer.
Types of thyroid cancer vary in severity and morbidity. The most common type is papillary carcinoma, a slow-growing malignancy that usually does not spread to other body areas.
The symptoms of thyroid cancer may include swollen lymph nodes and changes in swallowing and vocal quality. Usually, surgeons advise total thyroidectomy for a thyroid cancer diagnosis. Radioactive iodine treatments or radiation therapy may often follow thyroidectomy for cancer to destroy any remaining thyroid tissues.
Goiter
This is a large mass located on one side of the neck that can be unsightly and uncomfortable. While it is not cancer, it can cause vocal, breathing, and swallowing problems and can develop into obvious aesthetic issues. In this case, the surgeon will remove the goiter and all affected thyroid tissue.
Goiters are distinctly different from thyroid cysts which are smaller and fluid-filled. It may require surgical removal of the involved side of the thyroid gland.
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism can be treated in several ways. If a patient is unable to respond or tolerate medications or other treatment strategies, the surgery of choice for hyperthyroidism is a subtotal thyroidectomy to get rid of this autoimmune disorder. In this open procedure, the doctor removes one of the lobes, the connecting isthmus, and a part of the remaining lobe. This tissue reduction leaves enough of the gland to produce adequate T3 and T4.
The Best Endocrinologists in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, FL
If you are looking for the best endocrinologists, visit no other than our multi-specialty practice: Intercoastal Medical Group. Our board-certified endocrinologists, Drs. Kozlow, Majchel, and Perez are experts in complex diagnostic challenges thyroid issues pose. We offer the latest diagnostic testing and surgical and non-surgical treatments for a wide range of conditions and diseases.
To make an appointment with our endocrinologists, call us at (941) 379-1777 for our Beneva Professional Center location and (941) 538-0077 for our Lakewood Ranch II location, or fill out our convenient online appointment form.
