TAMPA, FL – Memorial Hospital of Tampa is pleased to announce that the first ever scarless thyroid surgery in Tampa Bay was successfully performed today. This option to traditional thyroid surgery does not involve an incision on the neck, but rather small hidden incisions that eliminate visible scarring.
“Now patients have the option of having thyroid surgery without a scar, and without compromising safety or surgical success,” said Dr. Hyunsuk Suh, who has been performing the scarless procedures since 2015 and recently relocated to Tampa Bay. “I initially trained in South Korea where scarring is frowned upon, so the technique was developed to address a cultural concern, and has evolved into a safe, convenient and cosmetically pleasing alternative to traditional thyroid surgery.”
Believed to be the first scarless procedure performed in Florida and the southeastern United States, the surgeon uses Memorial Hospital of Tampa’s minimally invasive robotic platform to remove thyroid nodules. The robotic system provides excellent visualization of anatomic structures, allowing for safe and more accurate maneuvers. Scarless surgery is often performed on an outpatient basis, so patients arrive at the hospital and go home the same day, eliminating the need for an overnight hospital stay.
“Advanced surgical innovation that improves the patient’s experience and outcome continues to be our primary focus at Memorial Hospital of Tampa,” said Sonia Wellman, Chief Executive Officer. “Scarless thyroid surgery is an exciting alternative to traditional thyroid surgery and one component of our comprehensive endocrine surgery service which is attracting patients from around the country.”
For more information on scarless thyroid surgery and Endocrine Services, visit MemorialHospitalTampa.com.
About Memorial Hospital of Tampa
Located in the heart of South Tampa, Memorial Hospital of Tampa has been providing high quality, advanced care to the community for nearly 50 years. The hospital is laser focused on providing the highest quality, advanced care to the community, and recently acquired a second campus in Town-n-Country. Memorial Hospital is a full-service, 384-bed, 24-hour Emergency Care facility staffed by over 400 physicians and providing state-of-the-art capabilities and best-in-class destination services designed to meet the unique needs of our community. These include minimally invasive Robotic Surgery Systems, Endocrine Services, Bariatric (weight loss) and Pelvic Floor Surgery, Orthopedic and Spine Care, Hyperbaric Wound Care, and Advanced Cardiac Imaging. At the Tampa Community Hospital site, services include a 24/7 full-service ER, Inpatient Behavioral Health and The Oasis, an inpatient substance abuse program. For more information, visit our website at or Like Us on Facebook.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 185 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 35 million annual
patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives.