If your doctor thinks you have a condition in which some or all of your thyroid gland appears to be functioning abnormally and needs to be removed, they will order a Thyroidectomy. The part or whole of the thyroid that is removed is dependent on whether or not the treatment is required for cancerous growth, noncancerous enlargement (goiter) or overactive thyroid. If only partial tissue is removed, where most people should notice no after symptoms and because their remaining thyroid still has 80-90% of its original hormone output, it’s called a Partial Thyroidectomy. If the entire gland must be removed and medication replaced daily, this is known as a Total Thyroidectomy .

Your doctor may recommend surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland if you have conditions such as: 

Thyroid cancer. The most common reason for thyroidectomy is thyroid cancer. If you have this type of tumor, the removal of your entire thyroid gland will likely be necessary for curing it. However, in most non-cancerous cases when an individual has a large goiter that is interfering with the functioning or overall comfort of various parts of their body such as obstructing breathing or causing issues with swallowing, or if they are hyperthyroid because their gland overproduces T3 and T4 hormones that can cause side effects such as high blood pressure, sudden weight loss and rapid heart rates, surgery to remove the problematic area may be necessary to remedy these problems.