Is radioactive iodine necessary after thyroidectomy?
Is radioactive iodine necessary after thyroidectomy?
Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment is sometimes used after thyroidectomy for early stage cancers (T1 or T2), but the cure rate with surgery alone is excellent. If the cancer does come back, radioiodine treatment can still be given.
What is the difference between i 123 and I-131?
Iodine, in the form of iodide, is made into two radioactive isotopes that are commonly used in patients with thyroid diseases: I-123 (harmless to thyroid cells) and I-131 (destroys thyroid cells. RAI is safe to use in individuals who have had allergic reactions to seafood or X-ray contrast agents.
Can the thyroid gland grow back after radioactive iodine?
In almost all cases, your thyroid hormone levels will return to normal or below normal after radioactive iodine treatment. This may take 8 to 12 weeks or longer.
Can you refuse radioactive iodine treatment?
When patients refuse RAI therapy, the harm associated with no treatment (as in thyroid cancer) also must be weighed and communicated to the patients. In many cases of GD, for example, the use of antithyroid medications or surgical subtotal thyroidectomy may provide appropriate therapy without the use of RAI.
Is Rai treatment necessary?
RAI treatment is primarily beneficial only when the patient has undergone a total thyroidectomy (complete removal of the thyroid gland) in the surgery for their papillary thyroid cancer.
Why is I-123 better than I-131?
Conclusion: The use of diagnostic I-123 pretherapy scintigraphy seems to be superior in many patients to posttherapy I-131 imaging obtained at 7 days in detecting locoregional metastases or remnant in postsurgical patients. This is likely due to the fact that 1 week is too long to wait to perform posttherapy imaging.
Why iodine 123 is a better choice than iodine 131?
The gamma emission of 123I allows excellent imaging (≈80% efficiency for a ½-inch-thick crystal) with low background activity. It provides considerably lower doses of radiation to the thyroid with comparable activity than does 131I.