Surgical anatomy of thyroid and parathyroid glands and basic principles of operative technique

Abstract

The thyroid gland is the largest endocrine organ with the highest frequency of disorders of all the endocrine organs. A successful treatment of both benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid is connected with adequate pre-operative evaluation, a precise operative technique and the knowledge of surgical anatomy. Complications that may occur due to the insufficient knowledge of the surgical anatomy of the thyroid and parathyroid glands permanently damage the health of the patient and cause his lifelong disability. Therefore it is necessary that the surgeon performing a thyroid and/or parathyroid glands operation should have sufficient knowledge of the surgical anatomy of these endocrine organs despite the wide availability of instruments which enable better visualization of the operative field, coagulation of blood vessels and intraoperative neuromonitoring.