The surgeon's approach to endocrine disease

摘要

Anatomy: The thyroid gland consists of two distinct dark red lobes that lie on either side of the cranial trachea. The blood supply to the thyroid is derived from the cranial and caudal thyroid arteries and associated veins. Each thyroid lobe has twoassociated creamy yellow colored parathyroid glands. The external parathyroid is located within the thyroid capsule at the cranial pole of the lobe and is supplied by the cranial thyroid artery. The internal parathyroid is located within the parenchymaof the caudal aspect of the thyroid lobe and is more variable in position. Ectopic thyroid tissue is common in dogs, and can be found from the base of the tongue to the cranial mediastinum.