Description of Procedure An incision will be made in the front
of the neck. Bleeding vessels will be clamped and tied off. All
or part of the thyroid gland will be cut away from other tissues
in the neck. Care will be taken to avoid injury to other nearby
glands and nerves. Bleeding is controlled with special tools
that compress and seal the ends of the vessels. The incision
will be closed. The edges of skin will be stitched together. A
drain will often be left in overnight. It will help drain any
extra fluids. The thyroid may be removed to treat thyroid
cancer. In this case, lymph nodes in the area may also be
removed. This will test if the cancer has spread. In some cases,
the doctor may be able to remove the thyroid using endoscopic
surgery. This involves making small incisions, instead of a
large incision in the neck.