Benign thyroid disorders that require surgical treatment include thyroid adenomas and thyroid nodular swellings. Common surgical procedures in general hospitals include mass removal or unilateral lobectomy; if thyroid function is normal on postoperative review, patients are advised not to take thyroxine tablets. This management may be adequate for patients who have undergone mass removal; however, it is often not appropriate for patients who have had a complete lobectomy of one side of the gland. In order to maintain the normal metabolic activity of the body, the healthy side of the gland will work faster to compensate for the lack of hormone secretion in the absence of the affected side of the gland. Hypertrophy. It is often found that patients who have undergone unilateral lobectomy and have not received thyroxine supplements in a timely manner after surgery often have a significant enlargement of the contralateral gland 10 to 15 years later, and some patients may have symptoms of tracheal and esophageal compression, requiring a second operation. It is recommended that patients with benign thyroid disease who have undergone total or major unilateral lobectomy take thyroxine (recommendation: Eugenol 50 micrograms) in small doses for a long time after surgery to reduce the burden on the contralateral gland in order to avoid possible secondary surgery.