RATIONALE: Insufficient world–wide clinical experience in radioiodine therapy (RIT) for Graves’ disease (GD) in children and adolescents, and limited knowledge of the predictors of RIT efficacy.AIMS: Analysis and identification of the most significant predictors of the efficacy of RIT in children and adolescents with Graves’ disease.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 55 patients (48 females and 7 males) aged from 8 to 18 years receiving primary RIT for GD were enrolled. RIT planning was based on the dosimetric method. Analyzed parameters included gender, age, ultrasound thyroid volume before and 6 months after treatment, the presence of endocrine ophthalmopathy, duration of antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy, relapse of thyrotoxicosis after ATD dose reduction, blood fT3, fT4 and TSH levels initially and at 1, 3, 6 months after treatment, TSH receptor Ab initially and at 3 and 6 months after treatment, thyroid 99mTc–pertechnetate uptake at 10–20 minutes (%), maximum thyroid 131I uptake (%), specific 131I uptake (MBq/g) and therapeutic 131I activity (MBq). Fisher exact test, non–parametric Mann–Whitney test, Wilcoxon signed–rank test, logistic regression modelling, ROC–analysis, proportional hazard model (the Cox regression), the Kaplan–Meier method and log–rank test were used for statistical analysis as appropriate.RESULTS: Six months after RIT, hypothyroidism was achieved in 45 (81.8%), euthyroid state – in 2 (3.6%), and in 8 (14.6%) patients thyrotoxicosis persisted. On univariate statistical analysis, the smaller thyroid volume, higher fT4 and lower TSH receptor Ab levels, lower 99mTc–pertechnetate uptake and higher specific 131I uptake were associated with hypothyroidism. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the older patient’s age (p=0.011), smaller thyroid volume (p=0.003) and higher fT4 (p=0.024) were independent predictors of RIT efficacy. Thyroid volume was also the only variable associated with achievement of hypothyroidism in time after RIT (p=0.011).CONCLUSION: The efficacy of dosimetry–based RIT in children and adolescents with GD 6 months after treatment was 81.2%. Older patients’ age, smaller thyroid volume and higher fT4 level were independent predictors of therapy success. Smaller thyroid volume was also a predictor of the favorable time–related outcome. Statistical models obtained in this work may be used to prospectively estimate the chance of efficient RIT for GD in pediatric patients.

Diagnosis of the causes of thyrotoxicosis (destruction or increased functional activity of the thyroid tissue in nodular and diffuse thyroid pathology) is a key point in determining the management of patients with this pathology. Scintigraphy is the method of choice in differential diagnosis of the causes of thyrotoxicosis assessing the functional state of the thyroid gland. According to variable medical interest, thyroid scintigraphy can be performed using 99mTc-pertechnetate or radioactive iodine isotopes (123I, 124I, 131I). For thyroid uptake evaluation used scintigraphy with 99mTc-pertechnetate radiopharmaceutical, which is not organificates and quickly excretes from thyroid tissue. In case of thyroid iodine pharmacokinetics investigation radiopharmaceuticals labeled by iodine isotopes (123I,131I, 124I) are used. The review includes original scintigrams, tables and diagrams. Article shows thyroid scintigraphy informativity analysis, evaluates the place and role of the thyroid scintigraphy examinations in modern diagnostic algorithms taking into account the history of the disease, laboratory tests, ultrasound (TIRADS) and result ofFNA (Bethesda). Additionally authors focused on existing clinical guidelines analysis. An optimized algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse and/or nodular thyroid pathology associated with thyrotoxicosis is proposed.

This research describes a clinical case of treatment of a patient with thyrotoxicosis with concomitant hematological pathology carriage of unstable hemoglobin Hasharon. A patient diagnosed with Diffuse toxic nodular goiter. Thyrotoxicosis of medium severity. Drug-induced hypothyroidism was admitted to the Department of radionuclide therapy for the purpose of treatment with radioactive iodine. Onset of disease - summer 2018 (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) 0 mIU/ml). The instrumental studies (ultrasound, scintillation scanning of the thyroid gland) were performed at the pre-radioiodine therapy (RIT) diagnostic stage. The history of the disease indicates, that in 2000 the patient was suspected of having abnormal hemoglobin, since then no examinations have been conducted and anemia has never been detected. The diagnosis of ancestral hemoglobinopathy with the presence (17%) of unstable Hasharon-Sinai-Sealy hemoglobin in a heterozygous form was verified during the preparation to RIT. The radionuclide therapy I131 with activity of 400 MBq was performed on 02.07.2019. The monthly monitoring of laboratory and instrumental indicants was carried out during the post-therapeutic period: the state of hypothyroidism was reached by the end of 2 months after RT, no episodes of significant increase in bilirubin levels were observed during the observation period; no side effects from RT were stated. It becomes possible based on the example of the above observation, to judge the safety of conducting RT for treatment of thyrotoxicosis in patients with similar hemoglobinopathy, without excluding, however, the need for an individual approach in each case.

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