Services

Consultations

I provide specialist knowledge and treatment in Endocrine Surgery and General Surgery. This includes thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal gland disorders as well as variety of general surgical conditions.

Please bring with you to your appointment:

  • referral letter from GP/specialist

  • medicare card

  • a list of your current medications/doses

  • radiology and blood test results

  • ultrasound and CT scans

Urgent appointments are available if required.

Sestamibi scan showing a right inferior parathyroid adenoma

Sestamibi scan showing a right inferior parathyroid adenoma

Reasons for referral

Patients are often referred to Dr Lam for the following reasons:

  • a lump in the thyroid/neck

  • symptoms of an enlarged thyroid (difficulty swallowing, choking feeling when swallowing or lying flat, pressure or tightness in the neck)

  • hyperparathyroidism

  • incidental findings on tests (thyroid nodules, adrenal nodules, raised calcium blood test)

  • management of thyroid, parathyroid, or adrenal cancer

 

surgery

If surgery is required, Dr Lam performs operations on private patients at Epworth Richmond or Warringal Private Hospital.

Dr Lam also operates at the following public hospitals:

  • Austin Health

  • St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

  • Western Health

 

 

thyroid surgery

This may be undertaken for conditions such as multinodular goitre, retrosternal goitre, Grave's disease, thyroid nodules or thyroid cancer. Usually patients are admitted to hospital on the day of surgery and are able to go home the following morning.

Parathyroid surgery

Parathyroid glands help control the calcium in the body. Occasionally one or more of these may become overactive and cause high calcium levels in the blood. High calcium can cause symptoms such as fatigue, low energy levels, difficulty concentrating, aches and pains, renal stones and also contribute to osteoporosis. Surgery is the only long term cure available.

adrenal surgery

The adrenal glands are situated near the top of each kidney and make a variety of hormones. With the increasing use of ultrasound and CT scans, nodules on the adrenal glands are increasingly being picked up incidentally - the "adrenal incidentalomas." The vast majority of these do not need surgery, but if it is required, it can usually be performed via a minimally invasive (keyhole) approach.