Though popular in the past, surgical treatment for hyperthyroidism is rarely done today. The following are situations in which surgical treatment may be appropriate to consider:

  • You have ]]>Graves’ disease]]> and cannot tolerate ]]>medication]]> or are not a good candidate for treatment with ]]>radioactive iodine]]> .
  • You have very large thyroid gland which interferes with breathing or swallowing.
  • You have a child with hyperthyroidism.
  • You are pregnant and have hyperthyroidism.

Although surgery is a permanent cure for hyperthyroidism in 90% of cases, the surgery results in ]]>hypo thyroidism ]]> , a condition that requires ongoing medical treatment and medication. Other uncommon complications include vocal cord paralysis causing hoarseness, bleeding, infected wound site, and low serum calcium.

Thyroidectomy

]]>Thyroidectomy]]> is the removal of all or part of the thyroid gland. Removal of only one lobe of the thyroid is called thyroid lobectomy, partial thyroidectomy, or subtotal thyroidectomy.