Anatomy of the thyroid

The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck below the thyroid cartilage. It is divided into two lobes, which lie to the right and left of the windpipe (trachea) and are connected by a narrow bridge of tissue. Each thyroid lobe is roughly the size of a pigeon’s egg.

The parathyroid glands lie behind the thyroid and are usually the size of a grain of rice. Approx. 90 % of all people have four parathyroid glands, two behind each thyroid lobe. The parathyroid glands are independent of the thyroid and produce a hormone (parathyroid hormone) that is important for calcium metabolism.

The vocal cord nerves run on the right and left between the thyroid, the windpipe and the oesophagus; they are important for the function of the larynx (and therefore for our speech).