title: Evaluation of ablation of thyroid remnants with 1850 MBq iodine-131 in 67 patients with thyroid cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) is used to destroy residual normal thyroid tissue after total thyroidectomy in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients. As 1850-MBq RRA is routinely performed at our facility, we evaluated the outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven DTC patients without macroscopic residual lesions after total thyroidectomy were evaluated. Thyroglobulin (Tg) was measured 2-3 months before RRA with thyroxin administration (pretreatment); just before ablation after a 3-week iodine intake restriction with thyroxin withdrawal (THW) (N.=16) or recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) stimulation (N.=51); and 3 months after RRA, after a 2-week iodine intake restriction and 3-week THW (N.=57) or rhTSH stimulation (N.=10). All patients received 131I (1850 MBq) treatment followed by 131I scintigraphy about 8 days later (8.18±0.91) and 131I scintigraphy (185 MBq) after the dosage 24 hours later 3months after RRA. Initial RRA goal was defined as negatively visible uptake in 131I thyroid bed (VUT) and a Tg level of <2 ng/mL 3 months after RRA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rest 60 patients whose TSH levels were below 0.5 µIU/mL of all 67 patients were evaluated. Negatively VUT on 3 months after RRA was shown in 56 out of 60 patients (93.3%). Initial RRA goal was achieved in 21 (42.0%) of 50 patients, excluding 3 patients whose Tg levels 3 months after RRA were not measured and 7 patients with anti-Tg antibodies. Pretreatment Tg levels (P=0.0003) was significant predictive factor for Initial RRA goal on multivariate logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RRA with 1850 MBq is effective by visual diagnosis, about 40% of all intermediate or high-risk DTC patients achieved initial RRA goals by both visual and Tg levels diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan - kawabe@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Joji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kotani
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoyoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Onoda
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiomi
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; C000614965:Iodine-131