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Thyroid & Parathyroid Services

People experience thyroid and parathyroid issues in different ways. To accurately diagnose and develop the best treatment plan for each patient’s unique condition, a multidisciplinary approach is most effective.

Sarasota Memorial’s Thyroid and Parathyroid Services team provides comprehensive care for a range of thyroid and parathyroid diseases and conditions — from goiters and Graves’ Disease to hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that help regulate metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, while the smaller parathyroid glands help manage calcium levels in the blood and body, supporting skeletal strength and the nervous and muscular systems.

When these important glands develop growths (called nodules) or aren’t functioning properly, common symptoms may include:

  • Thinning hair
  • Dry skin
  • Constipation
  • Weight gain
  • Feeling increasingly tired

For More Information

To learn more about Sarasota Memorial's thyroid and parathyroid services and for help with physician referrals, call 941-262-0500.

Most thyroid nodules are benign, but thyroid cancers can occur in men and women of any age, with women being 3 times more likely to develop it. The risk is highest for women when they’re age 40 to 60, and for men, risk peaks between the ages of 60 and 80. 

Thyroid cancer often develops without symptoms, but warning signs can include swelling in the neck, a quickly growing lump in the neck, pain in the front of the neck, trouble swallowing, a constant cough not related to other illness, and hoarseness or voice changes. It's important to note that many thyroid cancers are highly treatable.

Our new multi-specialty practice, the First Physicians Group Thyroid and Parathyroid Center, is dedicated to the care and treatment of patients with thyroid nodules, cancers and other diseases and disorders of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Thyroid & Parathyroid Conditions We Treat

  • Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
  • Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
  • Graves’ Disease
  • Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
  • Benign thyroid disease
  • Thyroid cancers
  • Thyroid nodules
  • Neck lymph node metastases
  • Hyperparathyroidism

Diagnostic & Treatment Services for Thyroid & Parathyroid Conditions

Our Team

Medical Director of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery Ralph P. Tufano, MDLed by Medical Director of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery Ralph P. Tufano, MD, Sarasota Memorial’s Thyroid and Parathyroid Services team includes surgeons, endocrinologists, otolaryngologists, pathologists, radiologists, advanced practitioners and rehabilitation therapists. Leveraging their combined expertise, team members work together and with other specialists in the community to ensure each patient receives comprehensive evaluations, advanced testing, coordinated care and if necessary, innovative surgical treatment.

An expert in minimally invasive treatment, world-renowned thyroid-parathyroid surgeon Dr. Tufano helped pioneer the scarless transoral thyroidectomy and parathyroid surgery technique, which is now accepted and used across the globe. Click here to learn more about the procedure and who can benefit from it.