Here you will find information on thyroid surgery and the right thyroid specialist in your area. All doctors listed are specialists in their field and have been hand-picked for you according to strict guidelines. Please select a location or treatment focus. The thyroid specialists look forward to hearing from you.
The thyroid gland, also known as the thyroid gland, is an organ that is located in the lower part of the neck and lies on the front and sides of the windpipe. It is an important gland whose two lobes produce the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4, tetraiodothyronine) as well as calcitonin.
The hormones are involved in complex metabolic processes in the body, such as the regulation of the basal metabolic rate, heart function and blood calcium levels. The production of thyroid hormones is in turn controlled by hormones that are released from certain areas of the brain.
The parathyroid glands(usually four) are closely connected to the thyroid gland; they are located on the posterior wall of the thyroid gland and also produce a hormone, parathyroid hormone. The parathyroid hormone ensures a constant calcium level in the blood by, among other things, releasing calcium from the bones if the calcium level is too low.
The entire hormonal and metabolic system of the human body is extremely complex and the individual components are finely tuned to each other. If there are disruptions here, which can be triggered by an iodine deficiency, for example, the system becomes unbalanced. This can result in the thyroid gland producing too much or too little hormone - with corresponding consequences for the body.
If the thyroid gland is enlarged and produces too much hormone, this is known as hyperthyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Patients suffer from increased sensitivity to heat and sweating, diarrhea, restlessness and sleep disorders, rapid heartbeat and weight loss.
On the other hand, if the thyroid gland produces too few hormones, the result is hypothyroidism or hypothyroidism. The consequences can include reduced performance, tiredness or weakness. The causes of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can be varied. Sometimes treatment with medication is sufficient, but surgical treatment by an expert in thyroid surgery is often necessary.
A goitre, medically known as a goiter, is a visible and palpable enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Specialists in thyroid surgery generally differentiate between benign thyroid diseases (such as goitre or hyperthyroidism) and malignant thyroid diseases and thyroid inflammation. The clinical pictures that are frequently treated in thyroid surgery or in certain situations include, for example
The patient's medical history (patient questionnaire) is used to find out the symptoms, psychological stress and family history. This can already provide initial indications of a possible therapy. As part of the functional diagnostics, i.e. to clarify whether the thyroid gland is over- or underactive, it is important to determine the thyroid hormones in the laboratory. By palpating the thyroid gland, the doctor can determine whether it is enlarged, displaceable or has nodular changes.
Changes such as cysts and nodules can be precisely detected with the help of an ultrasound examination(sonography). Occasionally, tissue samples (biopsies, fine needle aspiration) are also taken under ultrasound for further examination. Scintigraphy, in which a radioactively labeled substance is administered, is often used to determine which areas of the thyroid gland are over- and under-functioning. It can be used to identify cold nodules and hot nodules, for example. It plays an important role in the preparation for thyroid surgery.
Occasionally, or in the case of certain symptoms and suspected malignant thyroid diseases, other imaging procedures such as chest X-rays, possibly using a gruel, computed tomography (CT ) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used.
Before a thyroid operation, the thyroid surgery specialists will often carry out a laryngoscopy to check the functionality of the vocal cords, in addition to other laboratory tests (determination of the calcium level in the blood).
Surgery will always be necessary if other treatment options (such as medication, isotope radiation) have not been successful or are not promising. The experts in thyroid surgery will attempt to completely remove pathologically altered thyroid tissue on the one hand, but also to preserve as much functioning tissue as possible on the other. This gives the thyroid surgeon several options in terms of the amount of tissue to be removed:
Depending on the indication, thyroid surgery can be performed as minimally invasive thyroid surgery or as open thyroid surgery. Depending on the amount of thyroid tissue removed, it may be necessary for the patient to take thyroid hormones after the operation, and often also iodine to prevent a recurrence of dysfunction.
The first point of contact for patients with thyroid disease is usually a specialist in internal medicine and general medicine or a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology and diabetology.
Depending on the thyroid disease, various surgical experts may be considered for thyroid surgery, such as visceral surgeons, oncology or endocrinology surgeons. For example, visceral surgeons have completed specialist training in visceral surgery and are therefore also specialists in all surgical procedures on endogenous (i.e. inwardly draining) glands, including the thyroid gland. Specialists in thyroid surgery are familiar with both standard and the latest surgical procedures.
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