Evaluation of diffuse thyroid diseases by computed tomography and 123I thyroidal uptake

Understanding the iodine kinetics in the thyroid is useful for the diagnosis of a patient with diffuse thyroid disease. In this study, 9 controls and 50 patients with diffuse thyroid diseases, we evaluated diffuse thyroid diseases with 123I thyroidal uptake and volume, iodine concentration, and net iodine content measured by computed tomography. There was no significant correlation between volume, iodine concentration, and net iodine content of the thyroid and 123I thyroidal uptake. The thyroid volume in Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases was significantly larger than that in the control group. The thyroid iodine concentration in Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases was significantly smaller than that in the control group. The thyroid net iodine content in Hashimoto's disease was significantly smaller than that in the control group. Although most of the patients with Graves' disease had more increased radioiodine thyroidal uptake than the control group, there was no significant difference between them in the mean of the thyroid net iodine content. But the variance of net iodine contents in the former was significantly larger than that in the latter. The thyroid net iodine content was very low in all patients with very high thyroglobulin hemaggrugated antibody (TGHA) value although it was nearly normal in some patients with normal TGHA value. It was suggested that iodine concentration and net iodine content might be determined not only by iodine uptake but also by release and/or leakage of iodine compounds from the thyroid, which might depend on some antithyroid antibodies. (author)