Clinical experience with a radioreceptor assay for TSH-binding inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical value of a commercial kit for determination of TBII. Forty-seven of 50 patients with untreated hyperthyroid Graves' disease were TBII positive (sensitivity 94%). TBII was in the normal range in all normal volunteers and in patients with simple goiter, thyroid cancer and in most cases of nonimmunogenic hyperthyroidism (19 of 22). After 12 months antithyroid drug therapy with methimazole of 21 patients the prevalence of positive TBII findings was 28%. In contrast to this, 50 percent of the patients had increased microsomal antibodies at the end of therapy. The determination of TBII by TRAK-assay proved to be a sensitive, specific and practical method. The assay can be used to differentiate between hyperthyroidism of autoimmune or nonimmunogenic origin. Even so this method seems to be helpful for the follow-up during medical treatment of patients with Graves' disease. The results indicate that persistence of increased TBII levels are markers of active Graves' disease and suggest that in this situation ablative measures should be performed. Normalization of TBII on the end of a longstanding antithyroid therapy does not exclude the possibility of relapse in the further course.