Endocrine Treatment is the specialist management and surgery of the endocrine glands, which are the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pancreas. The pituitary gland is also an endocrine gland but its surgical disorders are dealt with by Neurosurgeons or ENT Surgeons.
Although in endocrine surgery the responsibility for the patient's care ultimately rests with the surgeon, the care of the patient is very much a team approach. The team includes; medical endocrinologists who help the surgeon decide whether or not surgery is necessary; radiologists expert in pre-operative and intra-operative ultrasound; anaesthetists expert in the special needs of the patient undergoing surgery, and pathologists who have made a special study of endocrine diseases. Oncologists may also be part of the team, advising on the need for radiation treatment or chemotherapy.
Disorders treated by endocrine specialists include:
