The aim was to compare the ablative efficacy of low vs high doses of radioactive iodine-131 (131I) in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after total or near total thyroidectomy.

Materials and methods

A randomized, double-armed clinical study compared the ablation outcomes of patients with low and intermediate risk DTC after administration of low (30 mCi) vs high doses (80–120 mCi) of 131I for 20 and 25 patients, respectively. All the included patients were re-examined under thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulation 6–8 months after 131I administration. Successful ablation is defined as follows: Absence of any significant 131I uptake at the thyroid bed or abnormal uptake elsewhere in the body in the diagnostic whole-body scan, stimulated serum thyroglobulin less than 2 ng/ml with negative antithyroglobulin antibodies, and free neck ultrasonography (no thyroid residue or pathological …