Relation between clinical and laboratory parameters with radiation dose rates from patients receiving iodine-131 therapy for thyroid carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

Three days following administration of radioactive iodine in 38 patients, exposure rates such as dose rate close to the dress (D0), dose rate of dress at 1 m (D1), dose rate close to the bedsheet (B0), dose rate of bedsheet at 1 m (B1), dose rate of patient at 1 m (P1) and also sum of D1 and B1 (S1) were measured using a radiation detection survey metre with a calibrated ionisation chamber. The patient population consisted of 36 females and 2 males with mean age 38.92 +/- 15.76 y. A considerable correlation was found between age and P1 (r = 0.37 and p = 0.02), and administered dose and P1 (r = 0.43 and p = 0.006). It is recommended that a document should be prepared for practitioners and also all individuals coming in contact with older patients are to be made aware of the contamination and radiation hazards.