Endocrine Surgery

An endocrine surgeon is a general surgeon who has extra training in surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands.

The thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands are part of the larger endocrine system, which also includes other glands. These endocrine glands make and release hormones into your blood that tell specific areas of the body how to function.

• Thyroid gland – produces hormones that control metabolism—how you convert what you eat to energy—and growth
• Parathyroid gland – produces hormones that control calcium and phosphate levels
• Adrenal glands – two glands that produce hormones to control metabolism, stress responses, blood pressure, and male and female organs and features

When your endocrine glands make too much or too little of a hormone, you may have an endocrine disorder. If you have an endocrine disorder and non-surgical treatments can’t manage or treat your condition, surgery may be an option. Our surgeons can also remove abnormal or cancerous growths on glands, such as thyroid cancer.

You’ll need a referral from your primary care provider or specialist, such as an endocrinologist, to see our endocrine surgeon.

Our endocrine surgeons practice team-based care. They work side by side with a physician assistant during and after surgery to provide timely, well-rounded care.

Our endocrine surgery team performs a wide range of surgeries, including:

• Thyroidectomy – removes some of or the entire thyroid gland
• Parathyroid surgery – removes parathyroid gland or abnormal growth on gland
• Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy – removes parathyroid gland with minimal surgical cuts
• Adrenalectomy – removes one or both adrenal glands
• Pancreatic surgery for endocrine tumors, or abnormal growths

You may hear the term laparoscopic when talking about your treatment options. Laparoscopic surgery uses instruments that act as extensions of the hands and go into the stomach area. This allows the surgeon to make only a few small cuts and use a tiny camera to do the procedure.

Some endocrine surgeries may be done using robotic surgery, or machine-driven surgery. Robotic surgery can:

• Lower your risk of infection at the site of the surgical cut
• Speed up recovery
• Reduce pain

Ask your surgeon if robotic surgery is an option for you.