Graves’ Disease

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune attack in the thyroid gland. It causes hyperthyroidism that can be life threatening if not managed. Usually it can be tempered by medications such as Tapazole (methimazole) or PTU (propylthiouracil), ablated by radioactive iodine (RAI) or cured by removing the thyroid gland surgically. Age, smoking status, medication tolerance, eye symptoms, gland size and patient preference are some of the factors that influence treatment options.

Surgical removal of a Graves’ thyroid requires not only expertise in thyroid surgery but experience in Graves’ disease management. These cases require advanced surgical technique and skill not often found in the surgeon who dabbles in thyroid surgery. The risk of hypocalcemia (low calcium) is much higher in this population than in routine thyroid surgery.