I-131 therapy of toxic and non-toxic goiters

For more than 50 years, I-131 has been recognized as an effective tool for controlling thyroid hyperplasia and hyperactivity. The fixed dose administr ation is the simplest method with doses of 111-370 MBq (3 to 10 mCi) I-131 being administered. More sophisticated methods aiming to deliver a well-def ined amount of I-131 per gram of thyroid tissue are handicapped by problems related to the evaluation of the goiter size and the prediction of the sen sitivity of thyroid cells to radiation. The use of I-131 in nontoxic multin odular goiter is to be reserved for specific situations.