Clinical utility of a simple physical technique in thyroid scintigraphy

Fifty two patients with visualization of one lobe or one lobe with faint active thyroid tissue in the region of the other lobe on thyroid scintigraphy, were studied using shielding of the active thyroid tissue in order to visualize the rest of the gland. This technique is useful in the differential diagnosis of autonomous nodules without need for the time consuming, costly, and sometimes hazardous TSH stimulation and T3 suppression tests. Furthermore, this technique could be used to verify total lobectomy in patients following thyroid surgery. Further work to differentiate congenital thyroid hemiagenesis from non toxic sutonomous nodules is suggested.