How should you choose a thyroid surgeon?

Outcomes and risks of thyroid surgery are related to the number of thyroid operations a surgeon performs each year. Generally, surgeons who perform at least 25 thyroid operations each year have better outcomes and less risk of complications than those who perform less that this number.7 This is especially important if you are having a total thyroidectomy, where there is a risk to the parathyroid glands and both the right and left recurrent laryngeal nerves. It is worthwhile to ask your surgeon how many thyroid operations they perform each year when deciding to proceed with surgery.

Outcomes and risks of thyroid surgery are related to the number of thyroid operations a surgeon performs each year. Generally, surgeons who perform at least 25 thyroid operations each year have better outcomes and less risk of complications than those who perform less that this number. This is especially important if you are having a total thyroidectomy, where there is a risk to the parathyroid glands and both the right and left recurrent laryngeal nerves. It is worthwhile to ask your surgeon how many thyroid operations they perform each year when deciding to proceed with surgery.