Does Radioactive Iodine Treatment Affect Thyroid Size and Tracheal Diameter?

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Hyperthyroidism management includes antithyroid drugs, surgery, and radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy.
• Surgery is often reserved for enlarged thyroids compressing the trachea.
• The impact of RAI on thyroid and tracheal dimensions requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of RAI therapy on thyroid volume.
• To assess the influence of RAI therapy on tracheal diameter.
• To compare RAI therapy with surgical intervention for managing large goiters.

Main Methods:

• Twenty patients with toxic nodular goiter received 20 mCi of RAI.
• Neck MRI scans were performed before and six months after RAI treatment.
• Thyroid and tracheal volumes were measured using the Cavalieri method and analyzed with a dependent samples t-test.

Main Results:

• RAI treatment resulted in a statistically significant reduction in thyroid volume by 36.06% (p < 0.001).
• A statistically significant increase in tracheal volume of 12.76% was observed post-treatment (p < 0.05).
• No patients experienced immediate postoperative respiratory distress.

Conclusions:

• RAI therapy effectively reduces thyroid size and increases tracheal diameter.
• RAI therapy presents a potentially safer alternative to surgery for patients with large goiters.
• Further consideration of RAI for large thyroids is warranted due to its favorable impact on tracheal dimensions.