Treatment of Thyrotoxicosis with Radioactive Iodine. Recommendations of the Consensus Group on Nuclear Medicine Protocols (Pakistan)

The 13 nuclear medicine centres run by the PAEC (Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission) dispense most of the I- 131(Iodine 131) doses in the country for the treatment of thyrotoxicosis. Over 5000 doses were given during January 2003 - July 2005 at these centres. I-131 remains the most effective and safest method of treating thyrotoxicosis and can be given to patients of all ages, pregnancy being the only contraindication. There is however no national standard protocol for doses or follow-up for such patients. This leads to variations in response and significant incidence of treatment failures. With this in view, a standard therapeutic protocol of management was designed as the 'consensus statement' by a group of nuclear medicine physicians, drawn from all PAEC centres. Although I-131 can be given to the paediatric patient too, this statement deals with adult management only. The first meeting was held in August 2005 at Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy, Multan. All participants contributed to the statement and are acknowledged as co-authors. At the onset of the meeting basic definitions were reviewed and the following were agreed to: Hyperthyroidism- the biochemical state of increased levels of thyroid hormones in blood. Thyrotoxicosis- the clinical state that results from hyperthyroidism