Talk:Thyroidectomy
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I've move the original text I've found here to here
A thyroidectomy (or thyroidotomy) is a surgical procedure that removes the thyroid gland. It is often performed when a person has thyroid cancer, or some other condition of the thyroid gland, including thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. This gland produces a number of hormones, such as thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and calcitonin, that regulates the metabolism of the cells of the rest of the body, so such an operation can be detrimental to the body (similar to a splenectomy).
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because some of it is wrong (thyroidotomy is a procedure that CUTS the thyroid, thyroidectomy REMOVES thyroid tissue, and such surgery is NOT done for hypothyroidism. Some of the other stuff belongs in an article on the thyroid, and I'm not sure why it's repeated here, though I may leave it alone. I also wouldn't compare a thyroidectomy to a splenectomy: if your thyroid is removed, you need to take replacement thyroid hormones for the rest of your life. If your spleen is removed your scar will show when you sunbathe. -- Someone else 01:28 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)
- This isn't completely true. Many people without spleens will need to take pencillin for the rest of their life. In the same way that throid hormones are taken to replace the functions of the thyroid, the pencillin replaces one of the functions of the spleen - ie- fighting infection. spleenless Angela.
- Most people without a spleen do just fine with or without medication: they won't die in a week if they don't take their medication, which is prophylactic rather than life-sustaining, which makes the procedure much more benign than a thymectomy. The penicillin in any case does not "replace" the spleen: it helps in the same general process, but by a different mechanism. The spleen allows opsonization of bacteria; penicillin kills bacteria by interfering with cell-wall synthesis. Thyroid replacement is actually replacement. -- Someone else 21:42, 2 Aug 2003 (UTC)
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- Very true. I wasn't suggesting changing the article, just pointing out that having a splenectomy is a little more than "having a scar which will show when you sunbathe". I'm not sure I agree with your comment saying people will do fine without medication though as various cases do require the long-term use of pencillin after a splenectomy, particularly for the first 2 years. Perhaps I'll get round to writing an article on splenectomies soon. spleenless Angela.
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- We could use one. The bikini line was perhaps a bit flippant and may not have translated well into print: an attempt to be amusing: clearly a spleen is better than no spleen. The penicillin recommendation is not universal: some would advise it, some would not, risk and benefits have to be assessed in each individual case, at least partially on the basis of the reason splenectomy occurred. Just as notes, you might want to include the so-called "auto-splenectomy" cases (where hemoglobinopathy results in multiple splenic infarctions causing loss of function without surgery, and talk about the advisability of receiving pneumovax vaccination before splenectomy if the procedure is at all elective. -- Someone else 01:15, 3 Aug 2003 (UTC)
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I think that saying that the medication "replaces" the hormones is rather misleading - the patient will never feel as good as when they had a normal functioning thyroid. -- Marj 05:56 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)
- I think you are reading too much into "replace". The purpose is to replace the lacking hormone: medication can't replace the regulatory function of the gland. Of course it's better to have a functioning thyroid than to have to take thyroid medication. That's not an option when you have thyroid cancer. It's better to be not diabetic than have to take insulin to replace the insulin the pancreas isn't delivering. In both cases the purpose of the medication is to replace the hormone that is deficient: in both cases the replacement is suboptimal because no medication regimen can be as finely-tuned as the feedback mechanism of an intact endocrine system. "Replacement" is pretty much what it's called: perhaps this is jargon. Anyway, see if you like the new version. -- Someone else 06:18 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)
