Benign thyroid disorders, radioiodine therapy and diagnosis related groups (DRGs): aspects of cost/benefit

The increasing prevalence of goiter and thyroid nodules in older patients is accompanied by an increasing frequency of treatment and cost. Cost-effectiveness is given for programs of prophylaxis (primary prevention, e.g. alimentary iodine supplementation), for programs of screening (secondary prevention. e.g. TSH-screening), and for therapeutic strategies to avoid complications of thyroid dysfunction (atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, death for cardiac reasons) and to minimize iatrogenic complications (tertiary prevention). Examples of tertiary prevention are radioiodine-therapy of Graves' disease in patients who have an increased risk of relapse after antithyroid drugs (ATD), radioiodine therapy of ouvert or subclinical hyperthyroidism, and radioiodine therapy of large goiters in older patients or in patients suffering from a relevant co-morbidity. A cost-effectiveness-analysis for different therapeutic strategies of Graves' disease has been published using a lifelong time-horizon. The ablative radioiodine dose-regime is cost-effective as a first line therapy if the risk of relapse after ATD exceeds 60%. Cost-minimization-analysis, comparing resection of goiter and radioiodine, has shown lower cost of radioiodine therapy for toxic multinodular goiter up to 100 ml and for Graves' disease up to 60 ml goiter volume. Medical aspects (volume of goiter, uptake of nodules, regressive goiter, suspicion on malignancy, patients' age, co-morbidity, patients' decision) remain decisive for the choice of treatment. (orig.)