February 24, 2017 – Thyroid Surgery

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Anchor lead: A new type of surgery on the thyroid gland is now available in the US, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Surgery on the thyroid gland to evaluate masses that might be cancerous is very common, and unfortunately, leaves a scar right across the front of the neck. Now a new approach totally avoids leaving a scar.  Jon Russell, a head and neck surgeon at Johns Hopkins who utilizes this approach, says patients especially appreciate this.

Russell: Here in the United States at Johns Hopkins we have done more of these than anyone else in the United States, to our knowledge. We’ve found repeatedly it’s been safe, our operating times are approaching the operating times that we would do for a normal surgery, these patients walk out, we send them home oftentimes the same day. They come back and they see us in a week and they feel great. they’re just always ecstatic and they say I had it done, and I don’t have a scar. :24

Russell says the operation is also suited for parathyroid masses.

Russell: We’ve actually done some parathyroidectomies as well and it works perfectly for a well-localized parathyroid it’s the perfect surgery.  :08

Russell predicts that soon most such surgeries on the thyroid will utilize this new approach. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.