DESPITE the wide clinical use of radioactive iodine, I131, in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis, agreement has not been attained concerning dosage or schedule of administration. Inadequacy of methods for the measurement of radiation delivered by I131 to the thyroid gland has presented a major obstacle to quantitative dosage. There has been, in consequence a paucity of data as to the amount of I131 radiation required for effective treatment. To achieve quantitative dosage with I131 it is necessary to deliver a predetermined amount of radiation to the thyroid gland. The radiation delivered to the thyroid by I131 is a function of the administered dose, its uptake and turnover by the gland and the weight of the gland (1). Assuming a constant weight of the thyroid, the possibility of delivering a predetermined radiation dosage is predicated upon the reliability of a tracer dose of I131 as an indicator of the metabolism of a therapeutic dose. Utilizing the method (2, 3) developed by us for measurement of the I131 content of the thyroid, we are investigating the possibility of treating thyrotoxicosis by the delivery of calculated amounts of radiation with I131. The present report is concerned with the following problems: 1) Is the uptake and turnover (biologic half-life) following a therapeutic dose of I131 predictable from the uptake and turnover following a tracer dosea? 2) What is the relationship between the estimated radiation delivered by the therapeutic dose of I131 and the therapeutic effect?
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
FREEDBERG et al. (1952) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: