| The thyroid is a very complex gland and many | | | | is needed or even a total thyroidectomy for those |
| problems may happen. Not always surgery is | | | | who have medullary carcinoma. |
| necessary in thyroid problems, but if there is two things | | | | After establishing what kind of interventions patients |
| must be taken into consideration. One is the aspect of | | | | may be exposed to, it is now time to detail them. |
| the gland and it's anatomy and second is what kind of | | | | An operation which is not performed frequently is the |
| disease we suffer from. | | | | partial lobectomy. This can take place only in the |
| As we all know, the thyroid consists of an isthmus and | | | | fortunate situations when the location of the tumor is |
| two lobes. Now, depending on what parts of this gland | | | | ideal(the lower or upper part of the lobe). When a |
| are affected, doctors recommend different types of | | | | single nodule is found, a dominating one, the procedure |
| surgery. If only one nodule is found in one of the gland's | | | | used is the lobectomy. This is considered the easiest |
| lobes, then if surgery is indeed necessary, the affected | | | | medical intervention and the most indicated in these |
| lobe is removed. In case the nodule is producing more | | | | cases. Another operation performed to both lobes and |
| hormone than necessary, the same procedure is being | | | | the part that unites them is lobectomy with |
| used(removal of the lobe). | | | | isthmusectomy. |
| But if the nodule is not solitary or small, the case of | | | | An intervention such as this is often used when for the |
| goiters, doctors must operate and remove that huge | | | | safty of the patient, larger parts must be removed. |
| mass which can compress the esophagus or trachea. | | | | There is also the case when only one lobe must be |
| That means that a total or sub- total thyroidectomy is | | | | removed together with the isthmus. It is called subtotal |
| performed. | | | | thyroidectomy and used in some other cases like |
| If the case of another thyroid problem comes into | | | | goiters and mainly to the less agressive cancer. |
| discussion, the thyroid carcinoma, most of the doctors | | | | Of course there is also the total thyroidectomy. And |
| recommend a thyroidectomy. This means that the | | | | as you have probably guessed by now, it is used to |
| entire mass is removed. But there are always | | | | take out all the thyroid glade. This drastic measure is |
| exception to this operation. If the size of the | | | | taken for patients whose thyroid cancer is aggressive |
| carcinomas is small, a lobectomy is necessary(a sub | | | | and in an advanced state. It may also be the choice |
| total thyroidectomy). If the nodes can be palpated, a | | | | for other patients, to assure themselves that cancer |
| dissection of the lymph node may be the best solution. | | | | does not regress. |
| There are also cases when an aggressive dissection | | | | |