The thyroid gland which is located in the lower neck, in front of the windpipe (trachea), consists of a left and right lobe.  Each lobe measures about 5 cm in length and extends from below the Adam's apple bone (thyroid cartilage) to the collar bone (clavicle) on each side of the neck.  The thyroid gland which affects the metabolism of many tissues.  Deficiency or excess of thyroid hormone manifests in many ways including fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, irregular heart beats and heart failure.

Removal of the thyroid gland is usually required if the thyroid gland inappropriately produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormone, enlarges to compress other structures in the neck or becomes cancerous.  Thyroid surgery is usually performed through an incision on the front of the neck.  This incision can vary in length from two to three inches and is placed low in the neck (usually in a skin crease) to improve the cosmetic appearance of the scar.

Since most people have only one thyroid gland, removal of the thyroid requires life-long replacement of thyroid hormone. This is easily accomplished in most patients with one or two pills a day of levothyroxine. The medication is inexpensive and has a low incidence of side effects. In addition, patients with thyroid cancer will require radio-iodine treatment after thyroidectomy and life-long surveillance with a combination of blood tests and scans.

Our Surgeons

Shelby Holt, M.D.
Fiemu Nwariaku, M.D.