Restore hormone balance and relieve pressure in your neck with thyroid surgery at Surgical Associates Northwest. This procedure helps treat thyroid nodules, goiters, overactive thyroid conditions, and thyroid cancer by removing part or all of the thyroid gland.
Relieve Symptoms Caused by Thyroid Disorders
Thyroid surgery, also called a thyroidectomy, is a surgical procedure that removes part or all of the thyroid gland located at the base of your neck. The thyroid plays a major role in regulating metabolism, energy levels, and hormones. When your thyroid becomes enlarged, overactive, develops nodules, or contains cancer, surgery may be recommended. By removing abnormal or diseased thyroid tissue, thyroid surgery helps restore balance and relieve symptoms.
What Does Thyroid Surgery Treat?
The thyroid gland sits at the base of your neck and plays a key role in regulating metabolism, energy, heart rate, and hormones. When this gland becomes enlarged, overactive, underactive, or develops abnormal growths, it can affect how your entire body functions. Thyroid surgery is used to remove diseased or abnormal thyroid tissue when medication is no longer effective. Depending on your diagnosis, surgery may address a single area or the entire gland.
Thyroid surgery may be recommended to treat conditions such as:
- Thyroid cancer
- Thyroid nodules that are suspicious or symptomatic
- Goiters causing pressure, difficulty swallowing, or breathing
- Hyperthyroidism that has not responded to medication
Benefits of Thyroid Surgery
Thyroid surgery can provide long-term relief when thyroid conditions begin to affect your health or daily life. By removing abnormal or overactive thyroid tissue, this procedure helps restore balance and prevent complications.
Benefits of thyroid surgery may include:
- Removal of cancerous or suspicious thyroid tissue
- Relief from neck pressure, swallowing issues, or breathing difficulty
- Improved hormone control and metabolic balance
- Reduced risk of condition progression or recurrence
- A small, discreet incision with a focus on safe healing
Your Thyroid Surgery Experience
Your experience starts with a detailed consultation. You meet with one of our ENT surgeons to review your symptoms, bloodwork, imaging, and ultrasound. The thyroid’s size, location, and relationship to nearby structures, such as the vocal cord nerves and parathyroid glands, are carefully evaluated. Your surgeon will then discuss whether a partial thyroidectomy (removing one lobe) or a total thyroidectomy (removing the entire gland) is recommended.
During surgery, you are placed under general anesthesia so you are fully asleep. A small incision is made in a natural skin crease at the lower neck. Using magnification and careful dissection, the surgeon separates the thyroid from surrounding muscles, blood vessels, and nerves that control your voice and calcium levels. The affected thyroid tissue is removed, and the incision is closed. After a monitoring period, you can usually return home the same day.
Thyroid Surgery FAQs
Will I Need to Take Medication After Thyroid Surgery?
It depends on how much of your thyroid is removed. If only part of the gland is taken out, the remaining thyroid may produce enough hormone on its own. If the entire thyroid gland is removed, you will take a daily thyroid hormone pill to maintain a balanced metabolism.
How Painful Is Thyroid Surgery?
Most patients describe discomfort rather than pain. You may feel soreness or tightness in your neck for several days, which is usually well controlled with prescribed pain medications.
Will Thyroid Surgery Affect My Voice?
Temporary hoarseness can occur due to swelling near the vocal cord nerves. In most cases, your voice returns to normal as healing progresses. Permanent voice changes are uncommon.
Will There Be a Noticeable Scar?
The incision is placed in a natural crease at the base of your neck and carefully closed to minimize scarring. Over time, the scar usually fades and becomes less noticeable.
Why Choose Surgical Associates Northwest?
Surgical Associates Northwest is a trusted ENT practice that has been serving the Auburn and Federal Way communities for over 40 years. Our surgeons offer attentive, patient-centered care, taking the time to listen carefully, explain your options, and guide you through every step of thyroid surgery. If you’re considering thyroid surgery, schedule a consultation with our team in Auburn or Federal Way, WA, to discuss your next steps.
