Chaplin, John

Definitions

The endocrine system consists of several glands (groups of cells), in different parts of the body, which discharge hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones have many different importantfunctions and ways of acting on organs of the body. During endocrine surgery procedures are performed on endocrine glands, usually to increase or decrease hormonal effects in the body. It often involves removing a tumour that has grown on or within an endocrine gland. Common endocrine surgery operations are removal of the thyroid gland located in the neck (thyroidectomy) and removal of the parathyroid glands located near the thyroid gland (parathyroidectomy). More rarely, surgery may remove one or both of the adrenal glands located near the kidneys (adrenalectomy).moreGeneral surgery takes its name from general medicine, and is a surgical specialty focusing on the torso and abdominal organs. This may include the intestines comprising the oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. It also often deals with diseases and disorders involving the skin and breasts.moreOtolaryngology or ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck diseases and disorders. This commonly involves surgery to the head andneck to treat such things as cancers of the oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), and larynx (‘voice box’), as well as other tumours. Endocrine surgery involves surgery to any of the hormone-producing glands in the neck, such as removal of the thyroid (thyroidectomy), one or more of the parathyroid glands (parathyroidectomy), parotid (parotidectomy), lymph nodes and salivary glands. Other head and neck surgery may involve reconstructive treatment after injury or disease.moreA neck lump is any bump, lump or swelling in the neck. They have many causes and are not always serious. They can be enlarged lymph nodes, due to bacterial or viral infection or inflammation. Lumpsin the neck can be due to benign (non-cancerous) swellings as seen in cysts, or lumps of fibrous tissue or fat (fibrolipomas). Growths can form in the parotid and thyroid glands. These can be benign or malignant (cancerous). Cancers that begin in the head or neck usually spread to lymph nodes in the neck before they spread elsewhere. Therefore, a lump in the neck that lasts more than one month should be examined by a head and neck specialist. Although not all lumps are cancerous, a lump in the neck can be the first sign of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), thyroid gland, or of certain lymphomas or blood cancers. Such lumps are usually painless and grow steadily. Surgery aims to investigate, diagnose and, if necessary, remove any unwanted neck lumps. Benign lumps, such as a fibrolipoma or cyst, are usually removed. If the lump is associated with another problem in the head and neck, such as cancer, both the primary site and the neck lump need to be treated. This may involve surgery and other therapies, such as radiotherapy. Some simple neck lumps may be able to be removed under local anaesthesia. Otherwise surgery takes place with general anaesthesia.moreOtolaryngology deals with diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat (ENT) and related structures of the head and neck, including the sinuses, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, and upper pharynx (mouth and throat). Otolaryngology is commonly called ENT.moreThere are three main glands in the mouth that produce saliva: the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Each of these glands is paired; there is one parotid gland on each side of the head,in front of the ears. The salivary glands can be affected by various diseases, such as mumps, and tumours can also occur. Most salivary tumours are benign (non-cancerous) and slow-growing, but malignant (cancerous) tumours also occur. Benign tumours are at risk of changing to malignant ones. Surgery usually removes the tumour and the affected part of the particular saliva gland, or the tumour and entire gland, under general anaesthetic.moreThe thyroid gland is located in the lower part of the neck, below the Adam’s apple, wrapped around the trachea (windpipe). It produces hormones which help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure,body temperature and metabolism (the rate at which food is converted into energy). Thyroid disorders can include an overactive gland, called hyperthyroidism, or an underactive gland, called hypothyroidism. Both can result in an enlarged thyroid gland. Sometimes surgery is required to remove the thyroid gland. A thyroid nodule is a small swelling or lump in the thyroid gland. They are usually examined with imaging such as ultrasound or MRI, and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy, a relatively painless procedure to take tissue fluid samples from the nodule. Thyroid surgery may be required when: the biopsy indicates the nodule is cancerous; the nodules are getting bigger; or the trachea or oesophagus is compressed because the thyroid is very large. Thyroid surgery involves removing part or all of the thyroid gland, under general anaesthesia. Usually, the lobe of the thyroid gland containing the nodule lump is removed. An analysis of tissue will determine if the rest of the thyroid gland should be removed, during the same surgery. (Alternatively, surgery may be done at a later date.)more