Definition

Noun: * Surgical removal of the thyroid gland: A thyroidectomy is a surgical procedure in which all or part of the thyroid gland is removed.

Usage

The word "thyroidectomy" is a medical term used specifically to describe the surgical operation. It is typically used in clinical, surgical, and patient-care contexts. * It functions as a countable noun (e.g., a thyroidectomy, two thyroidectomies). * It is often modified by adjectives describing the type or extent of the surgery (e.g., total thyroidectomy, partial thyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy).

Examples

• The patient underwent a thyroidectomy to treat thyroid cancer.
• After the thyroidectomy, she will need to take thyroid hormone medication for life.
• The surgeon performed a minimally invasive thyroidectomy.
• Complications from a thyroidectomy can include damage to the vocal cords.

Advanced Usage

• "to undergo a thyroidectomy": This is the standard phrasing for a patient receiving this surgery.
• "post-thyroidectomy": Used as an adjective to describe the period or condition after the surgery (e.g., , ).

Variants and Related Words

• Thyroidectomize (verb, rare): To perform a thyroidectomy on someone. This form is very uncommon in standard medical English, where "perform a thyroidectomy" is preferred.
• Parathyroidectomy (noun): Surgical removal of the parathyroid glands. This is a related but distinct surgical procedure.

Synonyms

• Thyroid surgery: A more general, less technical term.
• Excision of the thyroid gland: A descriptive synonym.

Antonyms

• Thyroid preservation: The act of keeping the thyroid gland intact.
• Medical management (of thyroid disease): Treating a thyroid condition with medication (e.g., levothyroxine, methimazole) rather than surgery.

Notes

"Thyroidectomy" is a compound word formed from "thyroid" (the gland) and "-ectomy" (a suffix meaning "surgical removal of"). It does not have associated phrasal verbs or idioms in common usage.

Noun

1. surgical removal of the thyroid gland