Total Thyroidectomy

This is a procedure performed routinely in cases of a multinodular goiter, bilateral thyroid nodules that are suspicious or confirmed thyroid cancer.  During a total thyroidectomy, usually a minimally invasive incision (2 inches) is made in the lower central neck and the entire thyroid gland is dissected and removed while preserving both recurrent laryngeal nerves and all four parathyroid glands.  Most patients are monitored overnight after this procedure to make sure the calcium levels are stable before discharge.  All patients after total thyroidectomy need to be on life-long thyroid hormone replacement.   Total thyroidectomy is performed regularly by Dr. Alen Cohen and Dr. Jerome Vener in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks.