Diagnosis and Treatment

Thyroid ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves that pass through the tissues to create images and can help the surgeon determine which nodules are worrisome, if there is evidence of thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s or Graves disease), and if any surrounding lymph nodes look suspicious.

Fine needle biopsies are performed for large or suspicious thyroid nodules and/or lymph nodes.

Ultrasound, 3D / 4D CT, and sometimes sestamibi scans are used to try and identify a parathyroid tumor before parathyroid surgery.

Parathyroidectomy is the only treatment for hyperparathyroidism. Our endocrine surgeon performs minimally invasive parathyroid surgery and 4 gland parathyroid explorations with Intraoperative pth testing.

A thyroidectomy is surgery to remove half (thyroid lobectomy) or your entire (total thyroidectomy) thyroid gland for either large or suspicious thyroid nodules, cancer, or hyperthyroidism. Our endocrine surgeon can perform minimally invasive thyroid surgery for most diagnoses.

An adrenalectomy is surgery to remove your left and/or right adrenal gland when you have a tumor on your adrenal gland that is producing hormones, is suspicious for cancer, large, or growing significantly.

Radioactive iodine (RAI), or I131, is given to destroy thyroid tissue in your body. It works by preferentially concentrating in thyroid tissue and emitting radiation very slowly (for up to year) to kill thyroid cells. It is given in small doses as treatment for Graves disease or hyperthyroidism, and slightly larger doses as adjunctive therapy for more aggressive thyroid cancers.

Hormonal medications are needed to treat many endocrine disorders, either as replacement or to mitigate hormone overproduction.

Thyroid nodules, even when benign (non-cancerous), can grow large and cause swallowing or breathing difficulties, persistent cough, or cosmetic concerns. Learn about our non-surgical treatment for thyroid nodules.

At the Vasek Polak Radiation Oncology Department, our patients have access to leading-edge radiation therapy technologies to shrink and kill cancer cells.