Head and Neck Surgery

Surgical treatment of cancerous (malignant) and non-cancerous (benign) growths and tumors of salivary glands, face, neck, oral cavity, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses as well as the throat and the voice box. State-of-the-art, minimally invasive, videoscopic and image-guided surgery is employed when appropriate and relevant. Every attempt is made to perform surgical procedures under fine needle biopsy with or without intravenous sedation, unless general anesthesia is required for safety and comfort of the patient.

Thyroid Surgery

The thyroid gland is one of the endocrine glands of the body, which secretes hormones that have vital regulatory role in metabolism of the body. The thyroid gland is located in the lower midline portion of the neck immediately in front of the voice box and the windpipe. Thyroid gland frequently develops cystic or solid growths within itself that in majority of instances are non-cancerous (benign) and do not require surgical removal. In minority of cases, the growth inside the thyroid may be malignant and in those cases, the primary treatment is thyroidectomy (removal of the thyroid gland). In those circumstances where the diagnostic tests such as ultrasound or fine needle aspiration biopsy (removal of a few cells from the growth using small needles under local anesthesia and examining them under the microscope) do not definitively diagnose the growth as malignant or benign, and if malignancy is suspected, partial thyroidectomy is performed, removing only the portion of the thyroid gland containing the suspicious tumor, so further pathology testing and evaluation can be performed. Every attempt is made to perform minimally invasive surgery through very small and almost invisible incisions when appropriate criteria are met. Our surgeons also use intraoperative laryngeal nerve monitoring to avoid vocal cord paralysis. Recovery from thyroid surgery is generally well tolerated and easy. The downtime is quite short ranging around a few days. Our surgeons work closely with endocrinoiogists, radiologists and pathologists to optimize the care of their patients.

Parathyroid Surgery

Parathyroid glands are typically four separate very small endocrine glands that are located very close to the thyroid gland in the lower midline portion of the neck (hence they derive their name as "parathyroid", being next to the thyroid gland). These glands produce a very tightly regulated hormone, which regulates the levels of the calcium in the bloodstream. Calcium is a vitally important element that participates in many functions of the body including muscle contraction and many other important functions. Sometimes, some of the parathyroid glands become hyperactive (hyperplasia) or grow a non-cancerous tumor, called adenoma, which produce excessive amount of the hormone, thus creating elevated levels of calcium in the bloodstream at the expense of depleting the bones (which are the reservoir of calcium in our bodies) causing rapidly progressive osteoporosis (weak and fragile bones). The excessive calcium causes many problems in the body including kidney stones, psychological disease such as depression or psychosis, hypertension, abdominal pain and other anomalies. In those situations, the abnormal gland or glands need to be removed surgically. Our surgeons perform the state of the art, minimally invasive parathyroidectomy utilizing state-of-the-art technology such as videoscopic surgery, intraoperative hormone measurements and intraoperative frozen section evaluations to assure that the patient is indeed cured of the disease before the surgery is ended. We also use intraoperative laryngeal nerve monitoring to avoid vocal cord injury during the surgery.

Tumors in the Head and Neck

The development of a mass or tumor in the neck may represent a cancerous growth. The best way to treat these cancers is with a multi-specialty team approach, utilizing the expertise of the head and neck surgeons, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, oncologists, and radiation oncologists. These diseases are often complex and the treatment plans must be individualized to each patient.