Brigham and Women’s Thyroid Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital

The mission of Brigham and Women’s Thyroid Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation and management of diseases of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands. As part of the Thyroid Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the clinical team at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital includes an endocrinologist, an endocrine surgeon and a pathologist who are also on the medical staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and use the same standards and protocols.

Because our experts are all located in the same office, patients who see an endocrinologist at the Thyroid Center for clinical evaluation of possible thyroid cancer can see an endocrine surgeon for surgical consultation, often the same day if needed. The goal is to provide patients with a diagnosis and treatment plan as efficiently as possible.

Best of all, the interdisciplinary approach allows your endocrinologist and endocrine surgeon to review your case and help you plan a course of action together. And after surgery, your healthcare team will help coordinate any ongoing management and provide long-term monitoring. We can even offer ongoing co-management for patients needing further surgical evaluation.

Thyroid Nodule Evaluation

Thyroid nodules are abnormal growths of thyroid tissue that can sometimes be felt as a lump in the throat. In some cases, a thyroid nodule may be a cancer. At Brigham and Women’s Thyroid Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, your endocrinologist will evaluate your thyroid nodule using fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and other tests to best determine if the nodule is cancerous. This procedure takes place in the doctor’s office and biopsy samples are evaluated by a Brigham and Women’s pathologist who specializes in thyroid tissue.

Surgery

If surgery is necessary, your endocrinologist will refer you to an endocrine surgeon within the Thyroid Center. At this appointment, you and your surgeon will have an in-depth discussion about your diagnosis, treatment options and surgery plan. Many procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis and others require just a one-night stay in the hospital.

Evaluation and Treatment for Hyperparathyroidism

Hyperparathyroidism is the over activity of the parathyroid glands, which results in excess production of parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone regulates calcium in the body. Patients with hyperparathyroidism may experience loss of calcium and a wide variety of problems. Symptoms of hyperparathyroidism include fragile bones, kidney stones, excessive urination, abdominal pain, tiring easily or weakness, depression or forgetfulness, bone and joint pain, frequent complaints of illness with no apparent cause and nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite.

To determine if you have hyperparathyroidism, your doctor will test the calcium levels in your blood. If you are diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, additional tests may be ordered. The experts at the Thyroid Center will work together to develop the most appropriate treatment plan.

Brigham and Women's Thyroid Center

Brigham and Women’s Thyroid Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital

Surgical Specialties

Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital