| thyroidectomy | Surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland. This might be done to remove a tumour or treat hyperthyroidism or goiter (enlarged thyroid gland). The goal of surgery in hyperthyroidism is to remove just enough thyroid gland so that a normal amount of thyroid hormone is produced. If too much thyroid is removed, the patient will produce too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) and need treatment to return the thyroid status to normal (euthyroid). The complications of surgery can include vocal cord paralysis and accidental removal of the parathyroid glands (located behind the thyroid gland), resulting in low calcium levels (the parathyroid glands regulate calcium). (12 Dec 1998) |
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| near-total thyroidectomy | Removal of nearly all of each thyroid lobe leaving unresected only a small portion of gland adjacent to the entrance of the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| subtotal thyroidectomy | Removal of most but not all of each lobe of the thyroid. (05 Mar 2000) |