SURGERY

Under general anesthesia.

The scar is horizontal, on the anterior part of the neck, in a crease, to be as aesthetic as possible.

The surgery consists in the removal of all or part of the thyroid : 

Partial thyroidectomy

-Cold nodules without any abnormal cells.

During surgery, the nodule is examined under a microscope : nine times out of ten, there are no abnormal cells and only the part of the thyroid where the nodule was is removed.

-Multinodular goiter without any abnormal cells

-Toxic adenoma.

Near total thyroidectomy (NTT)

Only a tenth of the thyroid is preserved, which is usually enough to sustain its functions.

-Basedow’s disease

-Basedow’s goiter

-Multiheteroglandular toxic goiter

Total thyroidectomy

Systematic if there are abnormal cells, to avoid cancer.

-Cold nodules with abnormal cells : one time out of ten, abnormal cells are found, therefore the whole thyroid is removed as well as all the neighboring tissues to prevent for cancer.

-Multinodular goiter with abnormal cells.

The duration of the surgery is approximately 60 minutes. 

Discharge from the hospital 2 days later.

A leave of absence from 2 to 3 weeks is necessary.

The most common complications are :

. Changes in voice

- hypocalcaemia.

. A hematoma, which can press against the trachea, leading to asphyxia.

. Hypocalcaemia, since the 4 parathyroid glands may be affected by the surgery. 

. Voice changes, the nerves responsible for innerving the vocal cords being on both sides of the thyroid (recurrent paralysis, superior laryngeal nerve paralysis)+

Post-operative treatment with thyroid hormones.

If  the remaining thyroid tissues are too small or not able to produce hormones, you will need to take thyroid hormones for life.

However, if the remaining thyroid tissues are big enough and can produce hormones, you won’t need any additional treatment.