Conditions & Treatments
Thyroidectomy - different approaches
Thyroidectomy to treat thyroid disorders/cancer is the surgical removal of all or part of your thyroid gland. Health care providers perform thyroidectomy to treat various thyroid disorders. These include cancer, noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid (goitre) and overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).
Scarless Thyroidectomy*
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach (TOETVA)- This innovative approach involves making small incisions inside the mouth using fine surgical instruments and a small camera, the thyroid gland is then removed laparoscopically or robotically via the mouth and leaving no scars on the patient’s neck after recovery.
Reasons for a thyroidectomy
Thyroid cancer is the most common reason for thyroidectomy. Symptoms for thyroid cancer might include a lump in the front, lower part of your neck, a hoarse voice, sore throat or finding difficult to breath or swallow. In most cases those who suffer from thyroid cancer the treatment given will be the removal of most if not all the thyroid gland.
Noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid (goiter). Removing all or part of your thyroid gland may be an option for a large goitre as it can be causing your thyroid to be overactive.
Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). In hyperthyroidism, too much the thyroxine hormone is being produced by the thyroid gland and anti-thyroid drugs are not an option then a thyroidectomy could be an option for the patient.
Suspicious thyroid nodules. Your doctor could recommend a thyroidectomy If your nodules are at increased risk of being cancerous. This could be because of many reasons such as the size of the nodules.
Tonsillectomy
Tonsillitis – Those suffering from recurring inflammation of the tonsils. Tonsilitis is a common condition caused by an infection of the tonsils. The most common symptom is a sore throat. However, coughs, fever and headaches can also occur. As well as finding it painful to swallow and inflammation in the glands. You may find that symptoms get worse throughout the first three days, but they can gradually go withing a week without the need of any special treatment.
Treatment: Tonsillectomy – is the removal of the tonsils and is the best treatment for those having frequent and severe bouts of tonsilitis. This means having at least 7 infections over the course of a year.
Microlaryngoscopy
Voice disorders/problems-Patients found to have any issues with their voice box, including any lesions or disorders on vocal cords, a hoarse voice, or any unusual findings in the area will often require a microlaryngoscopy.
Treatment- This is a precise and in-depth examination of your larynx under general anaesthetic. This procedure incorporates the use of metal tubes which are passed through your throat examining your voice box (larynx), during this procedure your surgeon can also correct any abnormal movements in your voice box, a small sample is taken (biopsy) and sent to pathology in order to confirm a diagnosis.
Salivary Gland Surgery
Reason: Salivary gland tumours are growths of abnormal cells (tumours) that begin in any of your the salivary (the most known are the parotid, sublingual and submandibular glands). Most salivary gland tumours tend to occur in the parotid glands and most of the time are found to be noncancerous (benign) but can sometimes be cancerous. To confirm the presence of a salivary gland tumour other test such as an MRI , CT , or PET scan need to be carried out as well as a biopsy.
Symptoms:
- Weakness or numbness in your face, neck, jaw or mouth.
- Persistent pain in your face, neck, jaw or mouth.
- Difficulty widening your mouth fully or moving your facial muscles.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Bleeding from your mouth
Treatment: Salivary gland surgery is usually the best treatment option for tumours that can be safely removed. Those with salivary gland cancers may need additional treatments, such as with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Surgery may include:
- Removing a portion of the salivary gland. If your tumour is small and located in an easy-to-access spot a partial part of the affected salivary gland may need to remove.
- Removing the entire salivary gland.
- Removing lymph nodes in your neck- if your salivary gland tumour is cancerous and there’s a risk that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes this may require for some lymph nodes to be removed from your neck
Parathyroidectomy
Reason: A parathyroidectomy is usually a treatment offered to patients when one parathyroid gland has grown to an abnormal size and is producing too much hormone. This is known as hyperparathyroidism. Your parathyroid glands are responsible for controlling the level of calcium in your body, this is done through the production of hormones. These four tiny glands can be found near your thyroid gland, but they function on their own and are not related to your thyroid gland.
Treatment: A parathyroidectomy is a surgical procedure to remove one or more diseased parathyroid gland(s).
Symptoms: The symptoms of a diseased parathyroid gland vary. Some may not experience any at all whereas other may experience other conditions such as kidney stones (renal stones) or it can just be more subtle symptoms such as ongoing headaches, fatigue, memory problems and depression. To be certain a parathyroidectomy needs to be performed other test such as an MRI, CT scan or an ultrasound need to be carried out to check if your parathyroid glands are of normal size.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus– This refers to any sound heard which is not caused by an outside source. Most people describe this sound as a:
- Ringing
- Buzzing
- beating
- Hissing
In many cases this caused after being exposed to a very loud sound, generally this can go away on its own however a severe case of tinnitus, may cause major discomfort in a person’s normal day to day life. Other causes include age related hearing loss, ear infections, ear wax accumulation, head and neck injuries, anxiety, depression and more.
Treatment- treatment options will vary depending on the cause of your tinnitus. If the cause is hearing loss, potential treatment may be hearing aids, for those with normal hearing range, sound generators/sound therapy will also help- this uses “white noise” to reduce focus on the tinnitus sound, allowing the patient to become more used to the noise.
Another option is self-help, this can involve the constant use of low level of background noise, relaxation techniques or removing certain substances from your daily life that may worsen your tinnitus. Although there has been no treatment to directly cure tinnitus, there are many options and treatments to help patients learn to adjust and reduce the impact on their quality of life.
Ear Microsuction
Earwax accumulation– this is a very common condition which is easily treated. If you have earwax accumulation you may experience earache, hearing loss due to the ear blockage, or even tinnitus and vertigo. Usually this can be caused due to a narrow ear canal, hair growth in the ear, inflammation (otitis externa or “swimmer’s ear”) and skin conditions around the ear.
Ear Microsuction– This is an outpatient examination offered to remove ear wax or any foreign object from the ear canal, this procedure is carried out with minimum discomfort, very effective and instant results. A small camera and suction device are inserted into the ear canal, the suction tube is used to remove the blockage, offering you immediate relief and little to no discomfort.
Nasal Polyps
Nasal Polyps: These are soft fleshy-like growth(s) in your nose which are usually benign. Although they are benign growths, they can grow and may block your nose.
Symptoms: If you have nasal polyps, you may experience persistent cold-like symptoms such as a runny/ blocked nose, postnasal drip (mucus dripping at the back of the throat). The main symptom being a blocked nose may also lead to trouble sleeping and snoring- in severe cases this can cause obstructive sleep apnoea. Diagnosis of a nasal polyps may be possible with a flexible nasendoscopy. This involves a small flexible endoscope inserted into your nose, in other cases a CT or MRI may be required to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment:
There two different treatment options you may be offered.
- Non-surgical option– In the first instance, nasal steroids are prescribed to help reduce the size of the nasal polyp(s) therefore reducing the nasal blockage, along with a normal saline nasal rinse or nasal douche. Treatment must be taken as prescribed to maximise its effectiveness. Should the symptoms persist, the next option would be a surgical treatment.
- Endoscopic Sinus surgery (Surgery for Nasal Blockage & Polyps): This procedure is performed through your nostrils using an endoscope to remove the blockage. Nasal steroids may also be needed after to prevent the nasal polyps from re-occurring.
Sinusitis
Sinusitis: Your sinuses are air-filled spaces behind your forehead and in your cheekbones. Sinusitis occurs when there is an inflammation of the tissues in your sinuses which may be caused by Bacterial infections, viral infections and allergies which blocks mucus from being drained out through the nose.
Types:
- Acute – may be caused by a virus infection such as a common cold and tend to last less than four weeks.
- Chronic sinusitis can last at least 12 weeks and is caused by bacteria symptoms
- Subacute sinusitis symptoms usually last four to 12 weeks
- Recurrent acute sinusitis symptoms come back four or more times in one year and last less than two weeks.
Treatment: At the moment there are many different treatments for sinusitis and most require medication. This will all depend on how long you have had the symptoms. The symptoms can relate to flu-like symptoms such as blocked nose, cough, fever, headache, runny nose and a sore throat. Most people can treat sinusitis with cold and allergy medications but if they don’t see any improvement within 10 days it is best to see a doctor. Depending on your symptoms you can be prescribed antibiotics, oral or tropical decongestants or intranasal steroid spray.