Argentine President Undergoes Thyroid Surgery
Posted by fauquierent on January 5, 2012
BBC News reported today that popular Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma, a highly curable form of thyroid cancer.
Thankfully, there were no complications and she is expected to be discharged from the hospital in the next 2 days.
Thyroidectomy is when the entire thyroid gland is removed which is necessary whenever thyroid cancer is present.
What are some of the complications that could have occurred?
• Vocal cord paralysis, either one or both vocal cords
• Hoarseness
• Calcium level problems which can lead to heart arrhythmias
• Bleeding which can compress the airway necessitating a tracheostomy
Read more about thyroid surgery here.
Source:
Argentine President Fernandez undergoes cancer surgery. BBC News Jan 4, 2012.
