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Surgical removal of
abnormal tissue changes is the most effective and best treatment for many
thyroid diseases.
What are the different
methods of thyroid surgery?
The surgical methods
differ according to the size of the tissue that is removed. Depending on the
diagnosis, it is sufficient to remove altered tissue or healthy tissue must
also be removed.
Strum resection: the
partial removal of the enlarged thyroid gland.
Thyroidectomy: the
complete removal of the thyroid gland.
Hemithyroidectomy: the
complete removal of a thyroid lobe
Enucleation: the excision
of a nodule from the thyroid gland
For which diseases is
thyroid surgery performed?
The thyroid gland is a
so-called endocrine organ. This means that the thyroid synthesises hormones and
releases them into the blood. If there is a change in the thyroid tissue,
either through cell proliferation or inflammation, there is a change in the
hormone release into the blood. This can be increased or decreased and affects
the general hormone balance of the body. Therefore, thyroid changes always need
to be treated. This can be done with radioiodine therapy, medication and
surgical removal. Surgery is considered for the following diseases:
Goitre
Graves' disease
Autonomous adenoma
Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Thyroiditis
Thyroid cancer
When is thyroid surgery
necessary?
The thyroid gland should
be operated on if other organs are constricted by an enlargement of the thyroid
gland. The narrowing of the trachea or oesophagus leads to swallowing or breathing
difficulties or a feeling of pressure in the throat and thus represents a major
impairment in everyday life. Surgery should also be performed if a
malignant thyroid tumour (thyroid carcinoma) is suspected. A general statement
on the treatment of thyroid nodules cannot be made because a distinction is
made between "cold" and "hot" nodules. Cold nodules produce
less hormones than normal thyroid tissue and are removed by thyroid surgery if
they grow rapidly or are suspected of being malignant. Hot nodules produce more
thyroid hormones and thus lead to hyperfunction. Radiotherapy is primarily used
here. Only if the effect is insufficient is surgical removal of the nodes
indicated. The so-called Graves' disease is primarily treated with thyroid
surgery. This is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies are directed against
the TSH receptor of the thyroid gland and stimulate the organ in its hormone
synthesis. This causes hyperthyroidism, so that the blood count shows increased
thyroid hormones as well as increased inflammatory parameters.