Thyroid Surgery
Complications
Nerve injuries
Rarely, the nerves that move the vocal cords (upper and lower laryngeal nerves) may be injured or cut .
In this case, depending on the severity of the injury, from mild to severe;
hoarseness,
Deterioration in sound quality,
voice fatigue,
Inability to produce high-pitched sounds and rough voice tone,
Shortness of breath,
difficulty swallowing and
There may be problems such as food being eaten into the windpipe (aspiration).
Especially due to nerve injury on both sides and not being able to breathe at all, the patient may have to breathe through a special tube opened from the throat ( tracheostomy ).
These complaints may last up to 1 year on average and may decrease and disappear during this period, in which case they are considered " temporary ".
However, problems that persist for more than 1 year are considered " permanent ".
Hypoparathyroidism
Rarely, short-term numbness, tingling, anxiety, depression and lack of attention may develop (especially in the fingertips) after injury or complete removal of the parathyroid tissues, which are right next to the thyroid tissue and there are expected to be four in total.
The contractions that may occur can sometimes be life-threatening.
In the long term, osteoporosis complaints may occur.
Hypothyroidism
In fact, it is not a complication, but rather a natural consequence of the surgery.
After surgery, insufficiency (hypothyroidism) may occur due to the absence of thyroid hormones.
Accordingly, the temporary period; Fatigue, weight gain, intolerance to cold, constipation and menstrual irregularities in women may occur.
The skin may become dry and rough. Hair may fall out, become dry and brittle.
There may be loss of attention, lack of sexual desire and decreased fertility .
Although rare, heart -related problems may occur in case of long-term deficiency.
To protect against all these side effects, patients are given thyroid hormone (T4) after the surgery.
Organ and vascular injuries
Rarely, the windpipe ( trachea ), esophagus ( esophagus ) or large vessels next to the thyroid ( carotid artery, jugular vein ) may be injured.
General complications
It can be seen in all kinds of surgeries;
Bleeding,
Infection,
Partial closure (atelectasis) in the lung tissue,
Accumulation of air in the chest cavity (pneumothorax),
Partial loss (necrosis) in the neck skin,
The scar becomes visible due to poor wound healing and
Unwanted conditions such as blood or fluid accumulation at the surgery site may also occur after goiter surgery.