Head & Neck

A thyroidectomy or the removal of part or all of the thyroid may become necessary if a patient has a thyroid nodule or a goiter that has become a visible or unsightly mass or is causing the patient to have difficulty swallowing or health concerns.

A parathyroidectomy – or the removal of one or more of the tiny parathyroid glands – can become necessary if a patient suffers complications from hyperparathyroidism such as elevated calcium levels, kidney stones, osteoporosis or bone fractures from diminished bone density.

A parotidectomy is a surgical procedure mainly used to remove benign or cancerous tumors in the parotid gland. This gland consists of two lobes – the superficial lobe and the deep lobe. Surgery to remove a tumor in the superficial lobe is called a superficial parotidectomy. Surgery to remove a tumor in the deep lobe — or in both the deep and superficial lobes — is called a total parotidectomy.

From the removal of diseased lymph nodes to the removal of part or all of the larynx, our surgical specialists are skilled at treating a wide range of head and neck cancers. While surgery is often the first line of defense for treating head and neck cancers, patients may also need to undergo radiation treatment or chemotherapy. Our medical team is well-versed at using a multidisciplinary approach and working with other specialists in this area.

Thyroid nodules are extremely common and most are completely benign. In order to determine whether yours may be cancerous, we use an ultrasound procedure to take a biopsy. Guided by the ultrasound, a small needle is inserted into the nodule where a sample of cells is removed. If the cells are found to be cancerous, the nodule will need to be removed surgically.