Traditional thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies leave a visible scar in the middle of the neck. But, advancements in endocrine surgery at Johns Hopkins allow our surgeons to provide a scarless alternative to this procedure. In a scarless thyroidectomy, or scarless parathyroidectomy, the surgeon accesses the gland(s) through the patient’s mouth (called a “transoral” approach.)
"A truly scarless thyroid surgery is one where we have no cutaneous (skin) incisions. What that means to patients is they don't have a small scar...they have no visible scar at all," says Jonathon Russell, M.D.
Watch an animation of transoral "scarless' robotic surgery to learn how it can be used as an alternative to traditional thyroid surgery - leaving patients without a visible neck scar.
Patients seeking surgical removal of their thyroid or parathyroid can take comfort knowing Johns Hopkins is the leading scarless thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy center in the United States, completing hundreds of these cases since 2016. Johns Hopkins was also the first hospital to offer a robotic option for scarless thyroidectomy, including utilization of the new Single Port robot.
Candidates for this procedure may include patients diagnosed with:
Additional screening may be required to determine candidacy. Consult with one of our surgeons for more information.
Patients can take comfort knowing their surgery won't leave a lasting mark. This can be especially important to those concerned that a surgical scar may be accompanied by a lifetime of burdensome questions.
Expertise: Benign Thyroid Disorders, Benign Tumors of the Head and Neck, Endocrinology, Goiter, Head and Neck Cancers
The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery works with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in a multidisciplinary approach to ensure the highest quality patient care and innovative research.
Learn more about the multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
