Despite the present extensive use of radioactive iodine in the treatment of thyroid disease, little is known of the metabolic changes induced within the thyroid gland by the radiation of the trapped I131. Histological changes have, until now, been the principal guide in determining damage to the gland. In the present study, additional criteria are presented, based on the specialized function of the thyroid gland with respect to iodine metabolism. These are: 1) its capacity to remove iodine from plasma, selectively, 2) its capacity to retain iodine, and 3) its ability to release hormonal iodine into the plasma. An attempt has been made to correlate changes in these three functions with the dose received by the gland following the administration of I131. Similar criteria for estimating radiation effects on the thyroid have recently been employed by Skanse (1948). experimental Male rats of the Long-Evans strain, weighing from 200 to 300 gm., were used throughout.
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Feller et al. (1949) studied this question.