‘I can breathe, sleep again’: Abu Dhabi surgeons remove 400g football-weight thyroid through 4 cm incision

For more than a decade, 53-year-old Mohammed Bakheet Mohammed lived with a thyroid gland that slowly grew to nearly the weight of a football – pressing on his throat, disrupting his sleep and steadily eroding his confidence.

What began as a small swelling in 2014 gradually developed into a massive goitre that became impossible to hide. The enlargement made breathing uncomfortable, caused loud snoring at night and frequently drew curious or uneasy stares in public. Strangers asked questions. Friends noticed. Mohammed learned to live with it, but it was never easy.

“I adapted over time, but it affected my energy and changed how I looked,” Mohammed told Gulf News.

It was in 2019 that the Egyptian father of three relocated to the UAE. By then, the swelling had become severe. The unusually large thyroid had extended behind the breastbone into the upper chest, making surgery high risk and raising concerns about nerve damage, permanent calcium imbalance and excessive bleeding.

“I did feel hopeless,” Mohammed admitted.

That changed when he reached Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where his case was assessed by Prof Dr Iyad Hassan, Head of Department and Consultant General, Endocrine and Cancer Surgeon.

“When he came to us, the thyroid gland weighed nearly 400 grams. A normal thyroid weighs around 20 grams,” Prof Iyad said. “This one was almost 20 times larger and had extended behind the breastbone into the upper chest.”

Large goitres of this nature are among the most complex procedures in endocrine surgery. The thyroid lies dangerously close to the vocal cord nerves, the parathyroid glands that regulate calcium levels, and major blood vessels. In many such cases, surgeons are forced to open the chest to safely remove the gland.

In Mohammed’s case, Prof Iyad and his team chose a different path.

In just 40 minutes, the entire thyroid was removed through a small 4 cm incision in the neck – without opening the chest, without placing a surgical drain and without compromising safety.

One of the key tools used was the Burjeel ICG Near-Infrared Fluorescence protocol. During surgery, a special dye allows the parathyroid glands to glow under a near-infrared camera, making them clearly visible and protecting them from accidental damage.

“These glands are tiny but essential,” Prof Iyad said. “Preserving them prevents dangerous drops in calcium after surgery.”

At the same time, the Abu Dhabi Neural Mapping Protocol was employed to continuously monitor the nerves controlling the vocal cords.

“This real-time nerve monitoring allows us to protect the patient’s voice throughout the operation,” the doctor said.
“Hoarseness is one of the most feared complications in thyroid surgery.”

Despite the gland’s size and the risks involved, the operation was completed without injury to the nerves or parathyroid glands and with minimal blood loss.

Twelve days later, Mohammed returned for follow-up, and the difference was immediate. He was breathing comfortably, sleeping without snoring and free from the constant pressure on his neck. The swelling that had followed him for years was gone.

“My life has completely changed,” Mohammed said. “I feel more positive. I can breathe properly and sleep well again.”

He was surprised by how small the incision was and how quickly he recovered.

“I expected a long recovery, but it was much faster than I imagined,” he said.

Asked what he would say to others living with similar conditions, Mohammed replied: “Trust in God and do not be afraid. Seek help at the right place. I am grateful to Dr Iyad, his team and everyone at Burjeel Hospital for their care and professionalism.”

For Mohammed, three numbers now define a turning point in his life: a 4 cm incision, a 40-minute surgery and a 400-gram gland removed – and the freedom to breathe, sleep and live without fear or hesitation once again.