METHOD: This was a retrospective study done in National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan from 2015 to 2017. 125 patients underwent hemithyroidectomy, but 24 patients were excluded due to autoimmune thyroiditis, which was determined as the exclusion criteria. Standard panel of blood investigations were taken in each clinic visit before and after operation. A neck ultrasound was done 2 months post-operatively to assess the thyroid remnant. Chi-square test was used for categorical data analysis. Independent student t-test was used for continuous data with parametric distribution and Mann-Whitney U test for non parametric data. p 2.0 uIU/mL was a risk factor as Chi square test showed p
METHODOLOGY: All the patients who were treated with high dose I-131from 18th January 2016 till 31st December 2016 in Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia were recruited. The data from 126 patients on thyroxine hormone withdrawal (THW) group and 18 patients on recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH) group were analysed. There is no change in patient management in terms of preparation, dose or post therapy whole-body scan. Fluid intake of patients were monitored strictly and whole-body retention of I-131are measured using ionizing chamber meter immediately after ingestion of I-131then at 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and 96 hours.
RESULTS: The median time to achieve permissible release limit (50 μSV/hr at 1 meter) was 21.6 hours and 22.1 hours post-ingestion of I-131in the THW and rhTSH group respectively. The minimum amount of fluid needed to reach permissible release limit in the fastest time was 2,103 ml and 2,148ml for the THW and TSH respectively.
CONCLUSION: Clinicians would be able to evidently advise their patient on the amount of fluid to consume and utilize their isolation wards faster to treat more patients.