Variations in radioiodine ablation: decision-making after total thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: The role of radioiodine treatment following total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer is changing. The last major revision of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) Management Guidelines for Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in 2015 changed treatment recommendations dramatically in comparison with the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) 2008 guidelines. We hypothesised that there is marked variability between the different treatment regimens used today. METHODS: We analysed decision-making in all Swiss hospitals offering radioiodine treatment to map current practice within the community and identify consensus and discrepancies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that for low-risk DTC patients after thyroidectomy, some institutions offered only follow-up, while RIT with significant activities is recommended in others. For intermediate- and high-risk patients, radioiodine treatment is generally recommended. Dosing and treatment preparation (recombinant human thyroid stimulation hormone (rhTSH) vs. thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW)) vary significantly among centres.

[Determination of three body compartments in the chest by scintigraphy]. / Die szintigraphische Messung dreier Körperkompartimente im Thoraxbereich.

We adapted a previously described method for the measurement of transthoracic tissue thickness and volumes of blood and interstitial tissue. This non-invasive procedure can be performed safely and by relatively simple means. We used a gamma camera and 99mTc to obtain transmission and emission scintigrams. A computer program written for a personal computer, can recognize the borders of the lung in a fully automatic manner and do the necessary calculations. Clinical studies show significantly higher interstitial volumes of the lung in patients with chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis.