In vivo evaluation in intrathyroidal iodide metabolism

A new coincidence counting method is used to measure absolute thyroid 125I activity with accurate correction of extrathyroidal neck activity. Data collected are analyzed according to a three-compartment model, giving parameters both dependent and independent of plasma iodide concentration. Iodide is postulated to form a complex with the iodide trap before it is transported and organified. The initial carrier-iodide complex, the intrathyroidal free iodide, and the thyroidal organic iodide pool can be determined as percentages of the injected activity. The trapping rate, the leakage rate, and the organification rate for iodide are determined as fractional turnover rates of the compartments independent of the plasma iodide concentration. The analysis is applied to the study of intrathyroidal iodide metabolism in a group of goitrous patients and a group of treated hyperthyroid patients. In the euthyroid goitrous patients, the trapping rate is slow, ranging from 0.051-0.085 min-1, and the intrathyroidal iodide pool is characteristically small, being 0.017-0.118%. The organification rate is 0.628-1.19 min-1. The leakage of iodide is virtually zero. In the treated hyperthyroid group, organification is not detectable, due to suppressive treatment by thionamides. The trapping rate is elevated (0.199-0.592 min-1), and the leakage rate is estimated to be in the range of 0.057-0.157 min-1. Because of the organification block, the intrathyroidal iodide pool is larger than that of our euthyroid group, being 1.50-7.59%. The compartment sizes and fractional turnover rates are in good agreement with previously reported values.