Endocrine Surgical Centre | Hormonal, thyroid surgery

It is a multidisciplinary group of specialists who are highly skilled and who are committed to working together to provide you with the most appropriate treatment plans. The group of specialists are usually the ones listed below:

• Endocrine Surgeons
• Endocrinologists
• Radiologists
• Dietician - consultant

Our Team

• Mr Bill Fleming – Specialist Endocrine Surgeon
  
• A/Prof. Julie Miller – Specialist Endocrine Surgeon
• Mr Jason Tan – Specialist Endocrine Surgeon
• Dr Myra Yeo – Endocrinologist

Our Treatment Approach

We work together as a team to ensure you have the best possible care. This means we put you at the centre of the care plan where each of our particular area of expertise comes together to make sure we get the best outcome for your condition.

Conditions that affect the thyroid, parathyroid or adrenal glands often involve both medical and surgical problems. In other words, these glands may produce excess hormones or not enough. An overall understanding of both the surgical and hormone issues is required for the best assessment and management of your condition. A team approach involving medical endocrinologists, endocrine surgeons and radiologists working side-by-side is therefore not only more efficient, but it will provide improved care for you.

Surgical Procedures

In general, endocrine surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. Patients are completely asleep and unaware as the surgery takes place.

Adrenal Surgery

This is undertaken if the adrenal gland is over-active or has a risk of malignancy. It is usually undertaken laparoscopically. Surgery may take 1-2 hours depending on difficulty. Patients usually stay in hospital for 1-2 nights after laparoscopic surgery but may stay for 5-7 nights after open surgery.

PRA (Posterior Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy):

The PRA technique represents a major advance in adrenal surgery, offering less pain, less blood loss, and faster recovery than traditional laparoscopic adrenal surgery.

PRA is minimally invasive “keyhole” adrenal surgery through the back. More than half of patients require no prescription pain medicine at all after surgery, and many are able to go home on the day of surgery.

This technique was developed in Europe and brought to Victoria in 2011 by our highly experienced team.

Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy:

A key-hole operation to remove an adrenal gland.

Open Adrenalectomy:

An operation for a very large or possibly malignant adrenal gland that requires an open incision on the abdomen.

Thyroid Surgery

An operation undertaken for risk of malignancy, over-activity of the thyroid, compressive symptoms and sometimes for cosmetic issues. The operation takes 1-2 hours and patients are usually in hospital for 1-2 nights.

Hemithyroidectomy:

An operation to remove half the thyroid gland.

Total Thyroidectomy:

An operation to remove all of the thyroid gland.

Completion Thyroidectomy:

An operation to remove any remaining thyroid tissue after previous thyroid surgery.

Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy:

An operation to remove an overactive parathyroid gland that has been localized with radiology via a small incision.

Bilateral Cervical Exploration for Parathyroidectomy:

An operation to find and remove an overactive parathyroid gland(s) which cannot be localized on radiology.

Sistrunk Operation:

An operation to remove thyroglossal cysts. The thyroid gland originally develops from tissue of the tongue. It migrates downwards to finally rest over the trachea or wind-pipe in the lower neck. Sometimes it does not close off normally and the result can be a thyroglossal cyst. This cyst can get infected or rupture and surgical excision prior to these complications is recommended. The Sistrunk operation involves excision of the cyst as well as the embryological tract which has allowed the cyst to develop. The operation takes about half an hour and patients are usually in hospital for 1-2 nights.

Parathyroid Surgery:

This is undertaken for overactive parathyroid glands causing hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism can lead to osteoporosis and likely increased fracture risk. It can also cause a host of less well-defined symptoms like bone pain, lethargy and forgetfulness. The surgery may take half an hour to 2 hours depending on difficulty. Many patients will only require overnight stay after surgery.