Thyroid surgery will only be used in certain cases when there is a problem in the thyroid gland. It is an intervention that is giving very satisfactory results and in which the surgeon’s experience can be key.
The most common diseases related to the thyroid gland, an organ with hormonal function located in the anterior region of the neck, are inflammatory (thyroiditis), those derived from the increase or decrease of its hormonal function and both benign and malignant tumors (thyroid nodules). In general, thyroid surgery will only be recommended for those cases of enlarged nodules that cause symptoms of local compression or raise reasonable doubt of malignancy, and where there is certainty of malignancy.
And this surgical treatment will depend on the pathology to be treated and may consist of the removal of one side or lobe of the thyroid, or of the gland as a whole. In general terms, we can say that the results of thyroid surgery, in the medium and long term, of all thyroid diseases are very satisfactory.
Complications of thyroid surgery
Regarding complications in the immediate postoperative period, the frequency of these diseases and medical advances have led to a gradual decrease in surgical mortality to figures below 1%. In the worst case, the most serious complication that can occur after thyroid surgery is a hemorrhage in the intervened cervical region that may require immediate surgery to avoid the symptoms of tracheal compression. In terms of morbidity, there is still a lack of function of the recurrent nerves, resulting in a temporary or permanent change in the timbre of the voice and a decrease in calcium levels due to a lack of activity of the parathyroid glands.
The appearance of these complications may be due to several factors such as the size of the thyroid, a history of previous cervical surgery or the presence of a malignant lesion. The surgeon’s experience in thyroid surgery also has a decisive influence, as this experience can reduce the number of cases by up to 50%, in addition to reducing the surgical time.
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