Long Term Follow-Up of Patients with Nontoxic Benign Nodular Goiter Treated with 131Iodine Therapy

Abstract

Background: With the advancement of diagnostic modalities, there is an increase in the number of individuals detected with thyroid nodules. There are multiple treatment options for the management of nontoxic benign nodular goiter. Radioactive iodine results in effective goiter size reduction which can be administered as out-patient basis and is an appropriate alternative for patients with higher risk for surgery. Our group have shown the effectiveness of 131Iodine therapy for nodular nontoxic goiters. We aim to determine the long-term effectiveness of radioactive iodine therapy among patients with nodular nontoxic goiter. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with nontoxic benign nodular goiter, negative for malignancy on biopsy who underwent radioactive therapy with a follow-up of ≥36months using ultrasound studies. Thyroid size, number of nodules and size of nodules pre-treatment and ≥36months post-treatment were compared. Results: 63 patients were included with an average follow-up of 73.14 ± 34.87 months. Mean age during radioactive therapy and last follow-up was 41 ± 14 and 47 ± 14 respectively. Significant thyroid size reduction was noted in 92.06% of patients (right thyroid lobe: 47.54 ± 31.25%, left thyroid lobe 47.44 ± 31.82%) while significant reduction in number and size of nodules were noted in 96.82% and 98.41% of patients respectively. No increase in the number of nodules and no development of new nodules were noted among all patients. Conclusion: Radioactive iodine therapy for nontoxic benign nodular goiter produces a sustained reduction in thyroid size, number and size of nodules even after a long follow-up period. Hence, it is a viable alternative to surgical removal of the thyroid offering a lower risk for complication especially among patients who refuse surgery or has a contraindication to surgical management.