Thyroid Surgery

There are some conditions where thyroid surgery may be recommended. It is important to discuss all your options with an expert. Call us to find out how we can help.

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Experienced, multidisciplinary team
Price: up to $500 with adequate Private Health Insurance (self-pay options are available)

The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces a hormone called thyroxine. There are some conditions of the thyroid where surgery may be recommended. It is important to discuss all your options with an expert to determine the treatment option that is best for your situation.

Thyroid surgery is known medically as a thyroidectomy: a hemithyroidectomy when one side of the gland is removed and a total thyroidectomy when all of it is. It is also searched for as goitre surgery or thyroid nodule surgery. At LapSurgery Australia, thyroid operations are performed in Melbourne private hospitals by Mr Andrew Chong, working within our experienced multidisciplinary team.

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There are some conditions of the thyroid where surgery may be recommended. These include:

Cancer of the thyroid; or nodules in the gland that are suspicious for cancer
Non-cancerous enlargement of the thyroid (goitre) – sometimes so large it compresses the trachea or oesophagus, or grows down into the chest beneath the sternum
Abnormal excessive production of thyroid hormone from overactive thyroid nodules, or Grave's disease

Note: Not all conditions always require immediate surgery. Nodules with low-risk features may be monitored with repeat ultrasounds; mild enlargement may be monitored; abnormal hormone production may be treated with medications or ablative methods.

Depending on your condition, usually either one side (hemithyroidectomy) or the entire thyroid (total thyroidectomy) is removed. Many small blood vessels supplying the thyroid must be carefully sealed and divided. A specialised nerve stimulator is used to identify and protect the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which innervates the vocal cords. Most people stay overnight and can go home the next day. The neck wound usually heals within 7–10 days; the team reviews the wound within 1–2 weeks.

Thyroid hormone supplementation

If the entire thyroid is removed, lifelong thyroid hormone supplementation is required from day one post-surgery. If only one side is removed, most patients do not require additional medications, although up to a quarter may. Dosage is given as a morning tablet based on body weight, adjusted over time via blood tests.

Calcium supplementation

There are 4 parathyroid glands around the thyroid that regulate blood calcium. After thyroid surgery they may temporarily malfunction, or some may be inadvertently removed. After hemithyroidectomy, calcium supplementation is generally not required. After total thyroidectomy, blood calcium is monitored and calcium tablets are usually prescribed short-term; rarely needed long-term.

For most patients with adequate private health insurance, out of pocket costs for thyroid surgery are up to $500, with health fund cover and any excess varying by fund and level of cover. Self pay options are available for patients without private health insurance, with an estimate provided after your consultation. Full informed financial consent is provided before you commit to surgery, and you can contact us for a written estimate at any time.

Thyroid Surgery Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about thyroid surgery

Most people stay overnight and go home the next day. The neck wound usually heals within 7 to 10 days, and the team reviews the wound within one to two weeks of surgery.

If the entire thyroid is removed, yes: lifelong thyroid hormone supplementation starts from day one after surgery, taken as a morning tablet and adjusted over time via blood tests. If only one side is removed, most patients need no additional medication, although up to a quarter may.

The recurrent laryngeal nerve, which controls the vocal cords, runs close to the thyroid, which is why a specialised nerve stimulator is used during surgery to identify and protect it. Serious risks, including nerve damage, are all very rare, and your surgeon will discuss them openly at your consultation.

No. Nodules with low risk features may simply be monitored with repeat ultrasounds, mild enlargement may be watched, and abnormal hormone production can often be treated with medications or ablative methods. Surgery is recommended only where it is genuinely the best option for your situation.

For most patients with adequate private health insurance, out of pocket costs are up to $500, with fund cover and any excess varying by fund and level of cover. Self pay options are available. Contact us for a full written estimate after your consultation.

Thyroid and parathyroid operations are performed by Mr Andrew Chong at private hospitals across Melbourne's south east, including Mulgrave, Berwick, Frankston and Wantirna. You can read more about our team on our surgeons page, and about the related operation on our parathyroid surgery page.

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