ThyroidectomyGeneral Information The thyroid gland is a bilobed endocrine gland located at the base of your neck. It creates and secretes a hormone (thyroxine) that is sent into your bloodstream. Thyroxine is metabolized from iodine in your general diet. The function of thyroid hormone is to control the speed of your body’s metabolism. The pituitary gland (located in your brain) controls how much thyroxine to make. It does this by making thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then tells the thyroid gland to make more or less thyroid hormone. An under-active thyroid results in hypothyroidism, producing overall less thyroxine. This makes the pituitary gland send more TSH into the bloodstream to get the thyroid gland to increase thyroxine production. This is why the TSH level is increased in patients with hypothyroidism. An over-active thyroid results in hyperthyroidism, producing overall more thyroxine. The pituitary gland then decreases the amount of TSH in the blood, and patients with hyperthyroidism have an overall low TSH level. Check with your doctor about the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, as they both are typically treated with medication, and only very rarely do these conditions require surgical intervention.
GoiterThe term thyroid goiter simply means an enlargement of the thyroid gland. This happens for different reasons when your thyroid gland is trying to produce more thyroid hormone. In hypothyroidism, the gland is typically very large, yet it does not possess the ability to secrete enough hormone to maintain your body’s metabolism. It therefore continues to enlarge attempting to meet the body’s metabolic needs. In hyperthyroidism the cells grow faster in response to the stimulus to make more thyroid hormone, which causes portions the thyroid gland to grow and produce more overall thyroid hormone than the body needs. Thyroid goiter is not as common in hyperthyroidism, as this condition is typically due to a single enlarged hyperfunctioning nodule, rather than a diffusely enlarged thyroid gland.
NodulesThyroid nodules are very common in the population and most people with nodules are asymptomatic. Most thyroid nodules are NOT cancerous. The nodules can be either solid or cystic (fluid filled). Typically your thyroid gland works normally if you have nodules. There are different ways to evaluate thyroid nodules to determine whether or not they are cancerous (i.e. history, risk factors, Doppler ultrasound and CT scan), but the most accurate and minimally invasive way is to obtain a biopsy of the nodule by fine needle aspiration (FNA). If the pathology from the biopsy is benign or mostly colloid without cellular atypia, then simple observation is recommended. If the pathology from the biopsy is non-determinant but there are significant patient risk factors for cancer present, or if the pathology is suspicious/diagnostic for cancer, then surgical removal of either one or both thyroid lobes is recommended.
|
|
|||||||||
| © South Texas ENT & Allergy * ENT Doctor Todd M. Weiss, M.D. * ENT Doctor John Hammerick, M.D. ENT Doctors of Corpus Christi Texas - 5920 Saratoga Blvd, Suite 425 Corpus Christi, TX 78414 Ear Nose and Throat Specialists of Corpus Christi providing treatment for Sinusitis and Allergies | Sinus Surgery | Septoplasty | Thyroidectomy | Office Based Laryngoscopy About South Texas ENT & Allergy | Patient Information | Physician Information | ENT Services & Treatments | Contacts Directions & Appointments Otolaryngology Medical Web Site Design by Vital Element, Inc. |