A-8 year review of radio-iodine therapy in the management of thyrotoxicosis

Thyroid dysfunction is the commonest endocrine disease. In view of continuing debate regarding the best definitive treatment for management of thyrotoxicosis, we reviewed 86 cases of radio-iodine therapy in Nuclear Medicine Centre, Dinajpur over a period of 8 years from 1991-1998 and evaluated the results. There is no evidence that thyroid carcinoma or leukemia is induced by 131 I, or that its use results in an increased frequency of congenital malformation among subsequent offspring. A single dose successfully controlled thyrotosicosis in 87.21% and resulted in hypothyroidism in 16.28% cases up to December 2000. The rate of hypothyroidism was to be maximum within one year after radio-iodine treatment (5.81%). The female and male patients ratio was 2.19:1. It is premature to comment over the long term result of radio-iodine treatment for thyrotoxicosis, as the period of follow-up is only 8 years. Still the result is encouraging because of advantage of being a cheap and simple form of treatment. In our opinion radioactive iodine therapy should be given priority in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis. (author) 19 refs., 4 tabs