Our surgical staff employs state of the art techniques for thyroid surgery as well as parathyroid surgery (glands situated very close to the thyroid gland in the neck).

Our treatment covers all aspects of the surgical approach to thyroid surgery which could utilize anyone of the following techniques:

● Needle biopsy
● Open thyroid surgery
● Specialized (Sestamibi) parathyroid surgery

If your thyroid or parathyroid condition dictates a surgical consultation, allow us to be your first or second opinion. We also perform surgery on the adrenal gland and many of our biopsies are done in our office under ultrasound guidance.

The parathyroid glands are four small glands that are intimately associated with the thyroid gland at the base of the neck. These glands are important in regulating the blood’s calcium levels. An elevated calcium level maybe a reflection of a hyperfunctioning parathyroid gland. Traditional surgical techniques utilized to treat this problem involve a neck exploration to find this hyperactive parathyroid gland. This traditional surgery is frequently successful in identifying the gland, but it generally involves a large neck incision resulting in a 3-4 week recovery period.

A new technique being utilized in our practice offers a minimal approach to excising the parathyroid gland while leaving a very limited scar, (less then ½-inch) with a much quicker recovery period. This minimal approach to parathyroid surgery has been proven to be extremely accurate in identifying and treating this disease.

In this technique, a medically safe, low-level radioactive material called Sestamibi is injected into the blood stream where it intimately attaches itself to the hyperactive parathyroid gland. Utilizing a specialized medical Geiger counter, the gland is then identified prior to any surgical incision. This results in a small incision that can be made directly over the gland for removal.

If your doctor or endocrinologist has recommended parathyroid surgery, perhaps you would give us the opportunity to offer this as a surgical option to consider?