Thyroidectomy Cost in United Arab Emirates

The cost of thyroidectomy in the UAE typically ranges from $2,000 to $18,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Thyroidectomy is surgery to remove the whole thyroid gland or nearly all of it. In the UAE, the cost depends on:

• Indication: goitre, nodules, cancer or Graves' disease.
• Lymph node surgery: needed for some cancers.
• Nerve monitoring: used to protect the voice nerves.
• Length of stay: most commonly one or two days.

The British Thyroid Foundation includes a large goitre, nodules that look suspicious, thyroid cancer and Graves' disease among the reasons for surgery.

Partial surgery and second-stage operations are covered on the hemithyroidectomy and completion thyroidectomy pages.

Figures from the British Thyroid Foundation: permanent change to the voice affects 1 to 2 people in 100; difficulty reaching high notes, from injury to a smaller nerve, about 6 in 100. More than 40 in 100 leave hospital taking calcium or vitamin D, and up to 10 in 100 have permanently low calcium.

After the whole gland is removed, levothyroxine tablets are needed for life. The neck scar usually fades over 6 to 12 months.

Planned thyroid surgery requires insurer prior approval under basic UAE plans.