Endocrine Surgery

Nationally Ranked in Diabetes

UT Southwestern Medical Center is ranked as one of the nation's top 20 hospitals for diabetes and endocrinology care (#17) by U.S. News & World Report.

Endocrine surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center provide expert surgical care for disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, and neuroendocrine system.

UT Southwestern is a recognized leader in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions related to the endocrine system. For patients who require surgery, our skilled team offers care that is second to none in North Texas and among the best in the world for endocrine disorders.

The Division of Endocrine Surgery at UT Southwestern is home to seven of the 10 fellowship-trained endocrine surgeons in all of North Texas. It is one of the largest groups of endocrine surgeons in the country and includes internationally recognized leaders in their fields.

Our surgeons take a multidisciplinary approach to care, collaborating closely with specialists in endocrinology, mineral metabolism, radiology, and pathology to establish a plan of care for each patient.

Endocrine Surgeries We Offer

UT Southwestern’s endocrine surgeons offer the most advanced treatments for endocrine conditions, leveraging specialized expertise in groundbreaking treatments for complex thyroid and parathyroid cancers, including metastatic diseases.

Our surgeons have a comprehensive range of treatments at their disposal, which enables them to use the most effective technique for each patient. These techniques include:

• Conventional surgical approaches
• Laparoscopic techniques, such as adrenalectomy
• Minimally invasive endocrine surgery, such as directed parathyroidectomy
• Robotic surgery

Our team of experienced endocrine surgeons performs procedures that include:

Adrenal surgery

• Cortical-sparing adrenalectomy: A procedure that removes adrenal nodules, tumors, or cancer but does not remove the cortex, the part of the adrenal gland that makes the hormone cortisol. This prevents adrenal insufficiency, which can occur in patients without a cortex.
• Laparoscopic/robotic adrenalectomy: Removal of an adrenal gland with nodules, tumors, or cancer. This minimally invasive surgery helps reduce postoperative pain and scarring.
• Open adrenalectomy: A traditional surgical technique that is used for patients with larger adrenal tumors. Open adrenalectomy usually requires a longer hospital stay and recovery period.

Parathyroid surgery

• Bilateral neck exploration: A procedure in which the surgeon examines both sides of the neck to look at all four parathyroid glands, often using minimally invasive techniques. By examining the size, color, and texture of the parathyroid glands, the surgeon can identify and remove the diseased gland(s).
• Focused (directed) parathyroidectomy: Removal of one or more parathyroid glands. In this technique, the surgeon has successfully identified the diseased gland(s) using localizing tests, such as an ultrasound or sestamibi scan, of the neck. Whenever possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive techniques for parathyroidectomies.

Thyroid surgery

• Thyroid lobectomy (or hemithyroidectomy): Removal of half the thyroid. Surgeons perform lobectomies for several thyroid diseases, including substernal goiters and thyroid nodules that are growing. A lobectomy can also be a diagnostic tool for patients with indeterminate lesions, which can be a sign of cancer or of benign thyroid disease.
• Total thyroidectomy: Removal of the entire thyroid. Whenever possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive surgical options for thyroidectomy, which results in a much smaller scar. After a total thyroidectomy, patients must take daily thyroid replacement pills.