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The Thyroid Head and Neck Surgery Centre is a one-stop facility that provides you with a comprehensive evaluation of Thyroid & Parathyroid disease.
An ultrasound is an important bed-side non-invasive scan that allows us to detect and locate abnormal parathyroid glands called parathyroid adenomas.
The ultrasound is also very useful in evaluating thyroid nodules, parotid and salivary gland tumours and swollen lymph nodes.
A Sestamibi-SPECT/CT, along with an ultrasound, are the two most important investigations to detect and locate abnormal parathyroid glands.
Accurate pre-operative localisation of an abnormal parathyroid gland allows us to perform a Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy (MIP) through a small 2 - 2.5cm neck incision. Benefits of an MIP are significantly less postoperative pain, faster recovery and an excellent aesthetic outcome.
Parathyroid surgery is very safe with surgical risks, in particular of voice damage of less than 1% in experienced hands.
Dr Ranjiv Sivanandan is a Specialist Board Certified General Surgeon who has devoted his career to the practice and development of parathyroid surgery.
After completing his medical degree in Singapore, Dr Ranjiv received his advanced training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford University, California, USA. Upon completion of the fully accredited program, he was conferred Fellowship with the American Head and Neck Society, and was appointed full-time faculty and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford University and the Stanford Cancer Institute until his return to Singapore in 2005.
Dr Ranjiv was extensively involved in scientific research and clinical teaching. He spearheaded research into squamous head and neck cancers at the Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and was the first worldwide to publish on Head and Neck Cancer Stem Cells in 2007. He was twice conferred the Resident Teaching Award for the most outstanding contribution to the Residency Program at Stanford University.
Prior to establishing his private practice, Dr Ranjiv was Senior Consultant and Chief of the Head and Neck Service at the Department of Surgery, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), which oversees the largest number of thyroid, parathyroid, parotid and major head and neck surgeries performed in Singapore.
In addition to the numerous thyroid, parathyroid, parotid and major head and neck surgeries he performs every year, Dr Ranjiv has a special interest in the application of robotics in head and neck surgery. In May 2010, Dr Ranjiv performed the first robotic thyroidectomy in Singapore, and in July 2011, the first robotic neck dissection in Southeast Asia. These novel procedures use state-of-the-art robotic technology to remove the thyroid gland and cancerous lymph nodes in the neck without any neck or visible incision.
On a personal level, Dr Ranjiv fervently believes that every condition is unique to the individual, that every patient be informed of best practices and evidence based treatment options, and fully engages patients in the decision making process. He is personally committed to treating the individual not just the disease, and providing the best clinical service and outcome to every patient in his care.
You may have been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism when your blood calcium analysis which is done as part of a routine health screen is discovered to be abnormal, or you are experiencing urinary symptoms from kidney stones, bone pain or neurological symptoms such as fatigue or poor concentration. In such a situation, you may need to have your condition properly assessed by an endocrinologist or a parathyroid surgeon.
Though many are aware of the existence of the thyroid, a gland responsible for the regulation of organ and cellular function, few are familiar with four small glands that reside just behind the thyroid, called the parathyroid glands, whose function, though completely distinct from the thyroid, is no less important.
The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone, required for the precise regulation of blood calcium, which in turn ensures the normal function of many organ systems as well. Indeed abnormally high parathyroid hormone levels, a condition called hyperparathyroidism can cause debilitating symptoms more severe, and more morbid than problems associated with thyroid hormone disorders.
Many patients may be completely asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms. Symptomatic patients, however, may present with one or more of the following:
The most common cause of hyperparathyroidism is from a parathyroid adenoma, a benign tumour of one of the four parathyroid glands that secretes excess parathyroid hormone. This solitary parathyroid adenoma accounts for 85% of cases of hyperparathyroidism. In the remaining 10 – 15% of cases the excess hormone production comes from two or four abnormal glands, called double adenomas and parathyroid hyperplasia respectively. Parathyroid cancer as a cause of hyperparathyroidism is exceedingly rare.
The abnormally high blood calcium levels cause the development of:
Surgery is the definitive treatment for hyperparathyroidism. Successful removal of the diseased parathyroid gland cures the patient of the disease, and reverses many of the preceding harmful effects of excess circulating parathyroid hormone. Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy (MIP) is the gold standard treatment for parathyroid adenomas.
Parathyroid surgery, as for thyroid surgery, is very safe, with surgical risks of less than 1% if performed by an experienced parathyroid surgeon.
Recovery is quick with most patients going home either on the day of surgery or after an overnight stay.
Our charges for first consultation starts from $200 and our clinic accepts most insurances. In addition, our staff will provide financial counselling for any procedure to be performed.
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Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre
#17-07, 3 Mount Elizabeth
Singapore 228510
Tel: +65 6732 0710
Email: ranjiv@thyroidheadnecksurgery.com
For more details, please visit our main website at www.thyroidheadnecksurgery.com
We are conveniently located at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, 3 Mount Elizabeth, #17-07 Singapore 228510.
If you require further directions to our office, please feel free to call us at +65 6732 0710.