Thyroid: what you need to know, from diagnosis to surgery
Problems related to the thyroid gland such as nodules, tumors, goiter or hyperthyroidism often require checks and, in some cases, the removal of this gland. An effective operation that ensures minimal side effects thanks to the use of new technologies and hormone replacement therapies.
Exams
There are several methods for carrying out a thyroid analysis) and identifying any nodules, their type and size. Another method used is through nuclear medicine (scintigraphy with the uptake of a radioisotope) which involves the introduction into the patient's body of radiation that assesses the presence of benign or malignant nodules. Finally, there is needle aspiration, the examination of the tissue cells of the nodules to be analyzed, a painless and minimally invasive technique.
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The types of intervention
Thyroid surgeries are called thyroidectomies and can be of two types, depending on the portion of the thyroid that needs to be removed. It will therefore be partial as in the case of neoplasms, hyperthyroidism or multinodular goiter, or total, if the disease affects the entire thyroid.
In general, thyroidectomy is a minimally invasive and widespread intervention that in most cases requires total anesthesia. As recalled by Prof. Celestino Pio Lombardi, Director of theEndocrine Surgery Unit of the Columbus Integrated Complex at the “A. Gemelli "in Rome, it is in fact a routine operation that in Italy is carried out on about 40 thousand patients a year and to get an idea of the reduced toxicity of the intervention it is sufficient to consider that the patient who has been subjected to surgery for total removal can be discharged after only two days of observation in the hospital, only one day will be enough for those who have undergone a partial export who will also be able to walk and have breakfast without difficulty from the moment of discharge from the hospital .
The daily intake of replacement therapy will be required, with levothyroxine, the dosage of which will vary from patient to patient depending on the weight and which will allow them to lead a normal life in all respects. And also from an aesthetic point of view, don't worry: the scar will disappear within a few months.
Contraindications
The side effects are minimal: in some cases there may be an alteration in the tone of the voice and a reduction in calcium levels in the blood. However, Prof. Lombardi assures us, these are post-operative effects destined to disappear and which can be easily treated with an ad hoc therapy.
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