SPECT-CT Scan
What is a SPECT-CT scan? A SPECT-CT scan is a type of nuclear medicine scan where the images or pictures…
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Endocrine specialists generally refer patients for these treatments.
All women who are not yet menopausal must have a blood test on the day of the treatment to ascertain pregnancy status. This is at the nuclear medicine physician’s discretion.
For patients having an ablative dose as a result of carcinoma, TSH levels must be >30 and patients must be off thyroid medication.
For thyrotoxic patients Neomercazole etc. must be ceased. Check with the administering department for their policy on the cessation period for these drugs.
Pregnant patients must not be treated with Iodine-131.
Breast feeding patients should not breast feed following a treatment. Nuclear medicine staff in consultation with the patient will decide how long to withhold breast milk.
The time depends on many factors and is impossible to predict. Different facilities and physicians have different views and will consider the patient’s condition, dose, etc., when making this decision.
Care should be taken with patients who have large remnants post thyroidectomy. A dose that is too high can result in complications.
With all Iodine-131 treatments, the dose given is an estimation. Each patient responds differently and it is up to the referrers in conjunction with the nuclear medicine physicians to find the most appropriate dose for each patient. For patients with thyrotoxicosis there is a risk that the dose will be too high and the patient experiences hypothyroidism. Alternatively, the dose may not be enough in which case a subsequent treatment may be required.
Generally, patients undergoing treatment for an overactive thyroid gland will not experience any side effects from the treatment as their dose is quite low.
Those undergoing treatment following removal of the thyroid as a result of carcinoma may experience some side effects including dry mouth and salivary gland pain. This can be alleviated by sucking on lemon lollies to stimulate saliva production. Nausea is less common and can be controlled by administering anti nausea medication.
Iodine-131 is generally the treatment of choice for post thyroidectomy carcinoma patients and patients with difficult to manage thyrotoxicosis.
Recombinant TSH or Thyrogen administration in the days leading up to Iodine-131 therapy allows post thyroidectomy patients to have ablation whilst on their hormone therapy. This alleviates the stress of hormone withdrawal leading up to the treatment. How long patients will need to follow these precautions will depend on the dose, living conditions and the department where the dose is administered. A good guide is 2 days from when the patient goes home (regardless of whether they had the dose as an inpatient or outpatient).
General precautions for outpatients <15mCi dose:
Thyrogen:
www.genzyme.com.au
Page last modified on 26/7/2017.
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