Scintiscanning the Thyroid Nodule

Abstract

THE DEGREE of functioning tissue of a nodule or nodules in the thyroid gland constitutes the basic problem in their treatment. Although the basal metabolism, tracer isotope study, including uptake conversion ratio, and the chemical protein-bound iodine will determine the degree of functioning of the thyroid as a whole, they do not throw light on the functioning of a particular region within the gland. However, with the use of a scintiscan, not only are the findings more specifically interpreted, but the function of a particular region can be studied as to the degree of uptake and the retention of¹³¹I. These scintiscans can be repeated without undue hazard of radiation to the patient. The reproducibility of a scintiscan has been established, and the reliability of uptake differentiation is being constantly improved with improvement of technique and equipment. The scintiscan can thus be used to depict in vivo, with no