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By knowing and understanding the risks involved in getting a thyroidectomy in Fort Smith, you can prepare yourself for anything wrong that might happen during after a surgery. Your doctor must be clear and comprehensive in discussing with you these risks for you to make an informed choice.
Although the chances of complications and problems during and after a thyroidectomy in Fort Smith are very slim given the advance technology and state-of-the-art equipment, a physician must see to it that the patient knows and understand this before undergoing the procedure.
Thyroidectomy in Fort Smith, or more commonly referred to as thyroid surgery is done to remove a portion or all of the thyroid to cure various medical disorders including thyroid cancer, cysts, nodules, and hyperthyroidism.
Because the thyroid is so small surrounded by nerves and glands, some complications may arise during and after the surgery. Other causes of complication may also be attributed to the use of anesthesia.
Thyroid surgery complications are very uncommon, but it may happen to anyone. This is why it is very important to get the best doctor to perform the operation to minimize, if not to totally, eradicate the risks.
The risks include:
Bleeding in the neck. This happens very rarely. Mostly, a small amount of blood can be seen, but even at this small rate, it may still compress the windpipe and cause breathing difficulty. To treat this an operation to drain the blood is immediately needed to relieve the pressure. Blood transfusion is very rarely needed.
Seroma. The collection of fluid under the incision that causes swelling or feelings of fullness. Minor cases may just disappear for a few days, but major swelling may require surgery to drain the fluid.
Infection. In general, the neck is often a clean area that does not usually get infected. However, post-operative infection may happen very rarely. In this case, a procedure is performed to drain the infection or the use of antibiotics may be prescribed.
Laryngeal Nerve Damage. This has a 1% chance of happening in a surgery, but damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during the thyroid surgery may lead to the loss of voice.
Voice Change. This is a common complication following a thyroid surgery. The patent may experience hoarseness, voice weakening, and tiring. This may also last for as long as 6 months or more following the surgery.
Hypoparathyroidism. This is the lowering of the calcium levels of the blood when the parathyroid is removed. This is often treated with medication.
Avoiding Complications
Although there are no 100% guarantee of the lack of complications, thyroid surgery is generally a safe procedure. You can lower the risks by making sure that you provide a detailed medical history to your doctor and that you choose an experienced, reliable and highly qualified surgeon to perform the operation.
