Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hyperthyroidism is one of frequently encountered clinical syndromes appearing in about 2% of adult population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of radioiodine treatment in relation to the form of hyperthyroidism.

Material and methods: The study investigated 300 patients: 150 with Graves’ disease and 150 with a toxic adenoma goiter (109 with a solitary nodule and 41 with a multinodular goiter). In all the cases, the estimation of FT3, FT4, TSH, TSI concentrations, radioiodine uptake and technetium-99m pertechnetate scans were carried out. The radioiodine dose was calculated on the basis of Marinelli’s formula.

Results: After a year long observation period, 31.35% of the patients with Graves’ disease were found to be euthyroid, 31.35% hypothyroid and 37.3% hyperthyroid, whereas among the patients with a toxic nodular goiter 84% were euthyroid, 2% hypothyroid, and 14% were hyperthyroid. The results of radioiodine therapy for a solitary nodule and a multinodular goiter were similar.

Conclusion: The radioiodine therapy revealed a significantly higher efficacy with a lower rate of hypothyroidism in the therapy of a toxic nodular goiter than in Graves’ disease, but its efficacy in the patients with a solitary nodule and a multinodular goiter was comparable.