Maharashtra’s First Successful Minimal Invasive Procedure To Remove Thyroid Nodule

Swelling in the thyroid gland was removed by a small incision in the armpit of a patient. Unlike in conventional surgery, it does not leave a scar in the neck.

Surgeons at Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai, India, have successfully removed abnormal growths in the thyroid gland by a novel method. They have also planned few more surgeries of the like to test the efficacy of the procedure.

In the //conventional method, the gland was removed surgically by making a large incision on the neck while; a small incision is made to remove the nodule in the new method.

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Dr. Saurabh Gandhi, Assistant professor, general surgery at the hospital, performed the surgery on 36-year-old Pradnya Ghadegaonkar, a Kalyan resident. “This is a minimally invasive procedure that has multiple advantages, as against the conventional method, in which there is a wide cut made on the neck,” said Dr Saurabh Gandhi.

The patient was diagnosed with a 3.5-cm nodule of benign nature in the right lobe of the thyroid gland, with no other abnormalities. The other investigations and the thyroid function tests were normal and Ghadgaonkar required surgery only for the removal of half the thyroid gland (hemithyroidectomy).

Thyroid gland nodule refers to any abnormal growth that forms a lump in the thyroid gland located in the neck. "Thyroid swellings are generally seen more often in females and in certain parts of Maharashtra, such as Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Nandurbar. It is more commonly seen in the hilly areas because of certain nutritional deficiencies,” said Dr Gandhi.

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Although the surgery was performed in February, doctors waited to see the result in the longer term to see whether it led to any kind of complication. Four months later, the doctors have concluded that the thyroid gland surgery is safe and more advantageous.

“The method of operating the abnormal growth in thyroid gland through the armpit has been used in the West as well, but it’s not very popular. In India, a couple of centers in the south have tried this new technique, but this is the first such case in Maharashtra,” said Dr A Bhandanwar, Professor, general surgery, JJ Hospital.

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Source-Medindia

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