[Radioiodine therapy for Graves' disease: problems and new developments]

In Germany, patients with Graves' disease are usually treated with radioiodine after unsuccessful antithyroid drug medication, occurrence of side effects from antithyroid drugs or an increased risk from surgery. In patients with normal or only slightly enlarged thyroid glands (volume < or = 50 ml), radioiodine therapy is particularly effective. Radioiodine is the preferential treatment for Graves' patients with high titres of TSH-receptor antibodies and cigarette smoking. Children are still rarely treated with radioiodine in Germany. In contrast, treatment with radioiodine should be more liberally applied in elderly patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism and cardiac symptoms. Individual dosimetry to determine the therapeutic activity is mandatory in Germany. Patients with large goitres obviously need higher organ doses than patients with smaller goitres or normal thyroid glands. Antithyroid drug treatment may interfere with radioiodine therapy. Therefore, it is recommendable to withdraw antithyroid drugs several days before treatment with radioiodine is initiated (and a preceding radioiodine uptake test is performed). In patients with Graves' orbitopathy prophylaxis with corticosteroids can prevent the worsening of symptoms that may be induced by radioiodine treatment. Currently, a risk adapted procedure is recommended according to which prophylactic medication with corticosteroids before applying radioiodine treatment is not necessary in patients with symptoms of orbitopathy and lack of other risk factors (cigarette smoking, in particular). Present results suggest that the risks of radioiodine treatment in Graves' disease patients are very low, while at the same time the cost-effectiveness of this treatment regimen is high.