Objectives: Since 1940s, the clinical use of unsealed radioisotopes has been in practice and after that the radioiodine's oral administration became a gold standard for treating thyroid cancers. To protect the patients' family members/ caregivers and general public from unacceptably high radiation exposures, the therapeutic dosage of 131 I administered patients are mandatory hospitalized in special isolation room until the exposure rate at one meter meets international and national limits. The current study was focused to measure the isolation duration of inpatients treated with radioiodine.
Material and methods:The current study presents the duration of hospitalization of patients treated with 131 I therapeutic dosages at Nuclear Institute of Medicine & Radiotherapy (NIMRA) Jamshoro, Pakistan from 2011 to 2013. Thirty Five patients (age range from 18 to 70 years) with cancer of thyroid administered with different activities (50 to 200 mCi (milliCurie)) of 131 I admitted in special isolated room at different times were included in this study.
Results:The results indicated that only one (2.86%) of total patients discharged from hospital within first 24 hours of 131 I administration whereas 17(48.57%), 11(31.43%) and 3(8.57%) patients were hospitalized in isolation room for 48, 72 and 96 hours after the administration of activity. Eleven percent of total isolated patients (n=4) stayed for 120 to 144 hours at the hospital.
Conclusion:The stay duration of 131 I administered patients at NIMRA shows wide-ranging pattern. Due to rapid clearance of radioiodine form their bodies, more than half of patients stayed only 48 hours.