ABSTRACT
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ that surrounds the anterolateral aspect of the trachea in the root of the neck. It has three parts: a right and a left lobe joined by the isthmus in the midline. It has a discrete blood supply from the superior and inferior thyroid arteries and venous drainage via the superior, middle and inferior thyroid veins. Lying within the pre-tracheal fascia, posterior to the strap muscles (sternohyoid and sternothyroid),
it has attachments at facial condensations (Berry’s ligament) fixing it to the larynx and trachea just anterior to the cricoarytenoid region on each side. Its surgically important relationships are with the right and left recurrent laryngeal nerves and to the parathyroid glands (Figure 29.1).
