Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery

Our expert endocrine surgeons treat both common and rare thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal conditions. These include thyroid and parathyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism and adrenal tumors, such as adrenocortical carcinoma. We also treat:

• Cushing’s syndrome
• Goitres
• Graves’ disease
• Hypercalcemia
• Parathyroid adenomas
• Phechromocytomas
• Primary aldosteronism (Conn’s syndrome)
• Thyroid nodules, including those found on ultrasound
• Thyrotoxicosis

Diagnosing Thyroid and Endocrine Conditions at Cleveland Clinic London

Our endocrine surgeons use diagnostic testing to assess your condition thoroughly and determine the best treatment for you. Often, you won’t need surgery to remove nodules or tumours in your thyroid, parathyroid or adrenal glands.

If growths aren’t dangerous, we can leave them in place and monitor you. This “watchful waiting” means we perform tests regularly to see if the situation changes. These tests are done at our facility for your convenience. You might have:

• Blood and urine tests
• Bone and kidney scans
• CT scan and MRI
• Nuclear imaging
• Ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy

If we do recommend surgery, our endocrine surgeons will discuss the risks and benefits of the procedure with you. This shared decision-making can help you make a more confident, informed choice about your care.

Thyroidectomy

This procedure removes part or all of your thyroid gland. Your surgeon may recommend thyroidectomy if you have hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease, thyroid cancer, a goitre or a suspicious nodule. Our goal is to avoid taking out too much of your thyroid gland or harming the nearby parathyroid glands.

For large or complicated thyroid goitres that have grown into your chest, our endocrine and thoracic surgeons work together to remove the growth. We’re one of the few hospitals in the U.K. with the expertise and advanced surgical equipment to perform this challenging procedure.

Other techniques we may use to make your thyroid surgery as safe as possible include:

• Autofluorescence guidance. This new technique uses infrared light and a special camera to help your surgeon see the tiny parathyroid glands as they operate, which helps protect their function. It also reduces the risk of these glands not working after surgery, which can cause calcium imbalances.
• Laryngeal nerve monitoring. During this surgery, your surgeon places electrodes on your voice box. Then, they use a small probe with an electrical current to test your nerves and muscles as they operate. This helps prevent damage to your voice box.
• Vascular mapping. Your surgeon carefully maps out the location of the blood vessels that go to your parathyroid glands during this surgery, which helps protect their function.  

Parathyroidectomy

Parathyroidectomy is the most common treatment for hyperparathyroidism. The four parathyroid glands are very small (about the size of grains of rice), and they can be in slightly different places in each person. These factors can complicate their removal.

At Cleveland Clinic London, our surgeons are experts in parathyroid gland anatomy and use CT scans, MRIs and nuclear imaging to find the glands, as well as determine their size and function. They also use parathyroid hormone monitoring during surgery to make sure all the overactive glands are removed.

These techniques make the procedure more accurate and lower the chances of missing any overactive parathyroid tissue. We also have a special lab where we can immediately examine any tissue removed during surgery.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy

We examine lumps in your adrenal gland and overactive adrenal glands caused by tumours. This helps us determine if they are producing hormones and assess their risk of being cancerous (malignant). Adrenal tumours can be discovered while we’re looking for other conditions on abdominal scans. Although most tumours don’t require surgery, those that produce hormones can cause long-term health issues. In those cases, we may recommend laparoscopic surgery.

How Much Does Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery Cost at Cleveland Clinic London?

The cost of your care depends on the procedures you have. For your convenience, we offer both self-pay services with flexible payment options through Chrysalis Finance and private medical insurance. If you have any questions regarding our payment process, we can connect you with one of our knowledgeable payment specialists for guidance.  

What’s Next?

You may have many questions and concerns as you think about having thyroid and endocrine surgery. At Cleveland Clinic London, we’re home to top thyroid and endocrine surgeons who use the latest equipment and techniques to provide exceptional, comprehensive and compassionate care. This expert team will guide you all the way through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Contact us or call +44 20 3423 7500 for more information.