[Volume reduction of the thyroid after radioiodine therapy in patients with autonomous goiter and Basedow's goiter].
OBJECTIVE
It is well known that radioiodine therapy (RITh) leads to a significant thyroid volume reduction (TVR). But until now only little data has been presented due to the course of time and the extent of TVR.


METHODS
Therefore the data of 33 patients with Graves' disease (GD), 36 patients with multifocal (MAG) and 31 with solitary (SAG) autonomous goitre were analyzed retrospectively.


RESULTS
All the patients showed a highly significant (p < 0.001) TVR, which continued up to 1 year after RITh. Receiving equal effective radiation doses, the extent of TVR was significantly greater for GD than for MAG. This difference developed within six weeks up to 3 months after RITh.


CONCLUSIONS
This observation suggests that the underlying thyroid disease affects the therapeutic effect of RITh and may be partially explained by the total suppression of non-autonomous thyroid tissue in AG at the time of RITh. In patients with SAG with a 1.7 times higher effective radiation dose than in MAG relative TVR was about 1.6 times stronger in SAG than in MAG. This demonstrates a direct relation between the effective radiation dose and the extent of the TVR after RITh.
Dederichs
B
B
Klinik und Poliklinik für Nuklearmedizin, Universität zu Köln, Deutschland.
Otte
R
R
Klink
J E
JE
Schicha
H
H
D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006042:Goiter / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes