Thyroid surgery can offer significant health benefits. However, it also involves some risks of which patients should be aware. Less than 2 percent of people who undergo thyroid surgery experience these complications, according to the American Thyroid Association.  

Thyroid surgery includes risk of damage to the recurrent and external laryngeal nerves that control the vocal cords. This can result in hoarseness or a weakening of the voice.

Surgery also can damage the parathyroid glands, which control the level of calcium in the blood. Damage to the parathyroid glands may require the patient to take calcium medication to ensure that levels of calcium in the bloodstream remain normal. Patients are urged to contact their physician if they experience tingling or twitching after the operation. This reaction can indicate that a person’s calcium level is low, which may occur if the parathyroid gland is damaged.

In some cases, bleeding occurs that may lead to acute respiratory distress. Rarely, postoperative bleeding can cause an expanding hematoma (swelling of blood) that may constrict the airway. Sudden swelling in the wound area may indicate bleeding.

Surgery may result in a visible scar on the neck. In addition, thyroid surgery involves all of the usual risks involved with any surgery, including infection and adverse reaction to anesthesia. Redness and drainage from the wound area may indicate infection.

Certain patients are at increased risk for side effects or complications if the following factors are present:

• Presence of invasive tumors and major involvement of the lymph nodes
  
  
• Previous thyroid surgery
  
  
• Presence of large goiter that extends below the collarbone
  
  
• Presence of a condition, such as diabetes, that hinders recovery from surgeries.

Because of the potential risks, surgery for noncancerous thyroid conditions is seldom recommended for older patients and others at higher risk for complications.