I recently attended an informative conference on Thyroid and Parathyroid disease in Santa Fe. The conference was presented in conjunction with MD Anderson and included presentations by many acclaimed doctors from several different specialties including radiology, endocrinology and surgery. The discussions that took place between we attendees and the presenters were very stimulating, and I found several good take-home points that will continue to be useful in my thyroid/parathyroid surgical practice.

For example, we heard from proponents of using intra-operative nerve monitoring during thyroid surgery to assist in identifying an important nerve, the recurrent laryngeal nerve. This nerve runs behind and very close to the thyroid gland which places it at risk for injury if not clearly identified and protected during surgery. An injury could affect speaking and possibly breathing in some cases. I have been utilizing this technology for several years now and feel that while strict surgical technique is the most important factor in preventing an injury, monitoring the nerve has been helpful. This is just one more way that I can assure that I am doing the best and safest thyroid operation for my patients.