William Rauton Lightle, MD

William R. Lightle, MD, MPH, is a board-certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained endocrine surgeon with Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina, specializing in the surgical treatment of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal disease. His practice includes the management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer, Graves disease and goiter, primary, secondary, and tertiary hyperparathyroidism, and adrenal nodules and tumors.
Dr. Lightle has particular interests in minimally invasive and advanced approaches to endocrine surgery. In addition to conventional thyroid and parathyroid surgery, he offers radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for appropriately selected thyroid nodules and transoral thyroid and parathyroid surgery, which allows selected patients to undergo surgery without a visible neck incision. He also performs minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic adrenal surgery, as well as central and lateral neck dissections for thyroid cancer when indicated.

Dr. Lightle completed his general surgery residency and endocrine surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He also holds a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and biostatistics and remains actively involved in clinical and health outcomes research focused on improving the care of patients with endocrine disease. He is a member of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, where he serves on the Ethics Committee, and the American College of Surgeons.

A native of Lexington, South Carolina, Dr. Lightle returned to the Midlands after completing his surgical training in Houston. His approach to care emphasizes helping patients understand their diagnosis and the full range of treatment options available to them. When multiple approaches are reasonable, he works with patients to choose a treatment that balances effectiveness, safety, recovery and their individual priorities.