According to the National Women’s Health Information
Center (NWHIC), 20 million Americans are living with some kind of thyroid disorder. This estimate includes those who do not know they have a thyroid condition or those who have yet to be diagnosed. The most common thyroid conditions affecting Americans today are tumors, enlargement, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that produces hormones that help regulate the body’s circulatory system and metabolism – the rate at which food is converted into energy. When the thyroid does not produce enough of the hormones, it is referred to as ‘hypothyroidism’. This condition causes the body’s functions to slow down and can lead to fatigue, weakness and the inability to lose weight. When the thyroid gland produces too many of the hormones, it is referred to as ‘hyperthyroidism.’ This condition causes the body’s functions to go in to a “hyperactive” state, which can produce rapid heart rate, unintentional weight loss, sleeplessness, and anxiety.
Thyroid cancer is the seventh most common cancer found in women and produces no symptoms. The first inking that something may be amiss within the thyroid often comes when a nodule or lump is found in the neck during routine physical exams. Even if the nodule or lump turns out to be benign (non-cancerous) after testing, it can still indicate a problem within the thyroid. Growths on the thyroid or an enlarged thyroid itself can cause difficulties in breathing and swallowing in addition to other adverse and possibly dangerous effects.
If medications do not work to correct a thyroid condition, doctors will often recommend a thyroidectomy, which is a surgical procedure to remove part or all of the thyroid gland. Traditional, invasive thyroidectomies left patients in a considerable amount of pain afterwards, in addition to a 2-4 inch scar on the neck. A recovery time lasting 2-3 weeks was not uncommon with these invasive procedures. Due to advances in technology, Dr. Larian a pioneer in the Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy is now able to perform that require only a one half to one inch incision and leave the patient in only a minimal amount of pain post-op. Our surgeons use specially designed endoscopes to view the intricacies of the neck area, allowing them to operate with more precision than was possible during traditional thyroidectomies. MITs also have a considerably shorter recovery period than traditional ones, lasting about ten days on average.
While MITs are the better choice overall for patients who are facing a thyroidectomy, there are some conditions and tumor characteristics for which MITs cannot be performed. To find out if you could potentially benefit from an MIT or to discuss other treatment options for thyroid conditions, schedule a consultation with our surgical team.