Total Thyroidectomy and Thyroid Lobectomy

Thyroid nodules can be quite common with >50% of the population developing a thyroid nodule at some point in their life. With improvements in imaging techniques, thyroid nodules are becoming even more routinely detected. The majority of nodules are benign, however nodules have the potential to be cancerous lesions. Thyroidectomy can also be performed for numerous reasons, including hyperthyroidism, goiter, and malignancy/nodules. Often times the extent of surgery is tailored to the disease process. In this chapter, we will discuss preoperative workup and management of thyroid diseases, describe the surgical technique of a thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy, and discuss postoperative complications that can occur following thyroid surgery.