You may have heard of an endocrinologist, especially if you have an endocrine condition such as diabetes or a thyroid disease. But what exactly is an endocrine surgeon, and how are they different from endocrinologists?
Endocrinologists are medical doctors specializing in the endocrine system, which is responsible for the body’s hormone production, impacting some of your most basic functions. Hormones affect not just your mood, but also your metabolism, digestion, heart rate, blood sugar, blood pressure, stress response, calcium levels and more.
Endocrine surgeons specialize in the surgical treatment of endocrine conditions. They may be involved in the removal of diseased glands or lymph nodes. They may also be part of your care team if you’ve been diagnosed with a form of endocrine cancer or a tumor. Those types of cancers include thyroid cancer, parathyroid cancer, adrenal cancer, or tumors affecting the endocrine system.
Your endocrinologist can help diagnose and treat your condition using lifestyle changes and medicine. But if your condition requires further intervention, they may refer you to an endocrine surgeon. Endocrine surgeons perform surgeries such as:
- Thyroidectomy: A thyroidectomy involves removing part or all of the thyroid gland due to thyroid cancer, nodules, tumors, hyperthyroidism or other thyroid conditions.
- Neck Dissections: Occasionally thyroid cancers can spread outside of the thyroid gland into the lymph node compartments within the neck. This requires a more specialized procedure to excise lymph nodes within the affected areas in addition to a thyroidectomy.
- Adrenalectomy: The adrenal glands are located just above your kidneys and you may have one or both of them removed if you’ve been diagnosed with adrenal cancer, a tumor or another adrenal condition.
- Parathyroidectomy: Your parathyroid glands produce hormones to regulate the calcium in your body. You may need to have one or more of your parathyroid glands removed if you have a growth or condition where too much calcium is produced.
Depending on your condition, an endocrine surgeon can be a vital part of your treatment plan. They typically work closely with your endocrinologist to determine if you are a good candidate for surgery and what type of procedure will benefit you the most.
Learn More
The surgeons at NGPG Surgical Associates are experienced in endocrine surgery and can help provide you with treatment options to give you the best possible outcome in collaboration with your endocrinologist or oncologist. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call (770) 219-9200.