Use of oral cholecystographic agents in the treatment of amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism

We describe here five cardiac patients with type II amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism who were treated prospectively with a combination of an oral cholecystographic agent (sodium ipodate, Oragrafin, or sodium iopanoate, Telepaque) and a thionamide (propylthiouracil or methimazole); amiodarone was discontinued in all patients. All patients improved substantially clinically within a few days of treatment and became euthyroid or hypothyroid in 15-31 wk when treatment was discontinued. Four of the five became hypothyroid and required long-term treatment with L-T(4); the remaining patient was euthyroid, but died from cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure at 29 wk, when he had been off oral cholecystographic agent and thionamide for 6 wk. We did not find any clinical or biochemical adverse effects of the treatment. Our study suggests that a combination of oral cholecystographic agent and thionamide is a safe and effective treatment of type II amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism. Data also suggest that hypothyroidism is a common end result of type II amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism.