Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is also called thyroid-related eye disease, infiltrative ophthalmopathy, which is related with the autoimmunity of thyroid, especially hyperthyroidism. Its morbidity ragnes from five percent to ten percent of hyperthyroidism, and the morbidity of male patients is higher than that of the female patients. The treatment of severe GO is a difficult task for doctors. The therapeutic effect is not always satisfactory. In order to solve this knotty problem, researchers have been devoting themselves to the development of new therapeutic methods. Here, the development of the therapies for GO is introduced, and the trends of treatments are prospected.
Combined Modality Therapy ; Exophthalmos ; etiology ; radiotherapy ; therapy ; Graves Disease ; complications ; radiotherapy ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; therapeutic use ; Prednisolone ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility, efficacy and safety of radioiondine therapy in the treatment of Graves hyperthyroidism with large goiter.

METHODSA total of 128 patients with Graves; hyperthyroidism with large goiter (thyroid weight>70 g) as the study group were treated with radioiondine, using 318 concurrent patients with Graves disease with a smaller goiter (thyroid weight<70 g) as the control group. The cure rate following a single-session treatment, the total cure rate and the incidence of hypothyroidism were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSIn the large goiter group, the total cure rate was 95.3%, and the cure rate following a single-session treatment was 46.9%, with the incidence of hypothyroidism of 4.7%, as compared with 90.9%, 65.7%, and 9.1% in the control group, respectively. A significant difference was noted in the cure rate following a single-session treatment (P=0.000), but not in the total cure rate or the incidence of early-onset hypothyroidism (P=0.115) between the two groups. No tracheal compression, laryngeal edema, or hyperthyroidism crisis occurred in the large goiter group after the treatment.

CONCLUSIONRadioiondine is safe and effective for treatment of Graves hyperthyroidism with large goiter, and results in a total cure rate and incidence of early-onset hypothyroidism similar to those in patients with goiters of a smaller size.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Graves Disease ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organ Size ; Thyroid Gland ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND(131)I therapy is recognized as the simplest, safest, least expensive, and most effective treatment, and accepted by more and more patients. However its curative effect is influenced by many factors, therefore there are some difficulties for doctors to establish individual treatment strategy. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of early and late hypothyroidism after (131)I treatment for Graves' disease (GD) and to compare their correlation, to observe and analyze the influential factors and to understand the predictabilities of them.

METHODSFive hundred GD patients (144 males, 356 females; age (41.2 +/- 12.3) years) received (131)I treatment for the first time. The therapeutic procedure was carried out as the following: undergoing (131)I uptake test to obtain maximum of thyroid uptake value and effective half-life (EHL) time; estimating the thyroid's weight by ultrasonography; determination of thyroid hormones and correlative antibodies; pre-therapy physical examination; thyroid imaging; calculating (131)I therapeutic dosage; per os uptake of the determined (131)I dosage; follow-up appraisal of curative effect. The observing parameters included age, gender, thyroid weight, GD duration, condition of onset, state of disease, course of treatment, EHL time, maximum of thyroid uptake value, (131)I dosage and titer of correlative antibodies. We sorted out the data and used both univariate and multivariate analysis to evaluate them statistically.

RESULTSThe incidence rates of early and late hypothyroidism were 33.2% and 6.6% respectively after (131)I treatment and approximately 22.2% cases of late hypothyroidism developed from early hypothyroidism. The influential factors of early hypothyroidism included course of GD, the highest thyroid uptake ratio of (131)I, EHL time and thyroid microsome antibody (TMAb), etc. A multivariate analysis on late hypothyroidism showed that female patients, with recurrence after anti-thyroid drug treatment and higher thyroid weight, had lower possibility of late hypothyroidism after (131)I therapy.

CONCLUSIONSThe incidence of early hypothyroidism is higher than that of late hypothyroidism. The highest thyroid uptake ratio of (131)I, EHL and TMAb will increase the possibility of early hypothyroidism, while GD course is the protective factor. Higher (131)I dosage, longer EHL and higher TMAb titer will also increase the possibility of late hypothyroidism. The multi-perspective and multi-factor analysis has the benefit to establish individualized treatment strategy.

Adult ; Female ; Graves Disease ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Time Factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is an important treatment modality of Graves' disease (GD), but there is still not a consensus on the optimal dosage regimen. We studied the treatment success rate of different RAI doses, and examined which clinical markers were useful for determining the optimal RAI dosage for successful therapy in Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 123 patients with GD treated with RAI between 2004 and 2014 at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The responder group was defined as patients who developed hypothyroidism requiring levothyroxine replacement following RAI, regardless of the RAI dosage. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients (43.9%) became hypothyroid after the first dose, and 31 needed two to four additional doses to achieve hypothyroidism. In the responder group as a whole (85 patients), the mean total dose of RAI was 15.5±7.0 mCi and the mean thyroid volume (TV) was 35.4±23.4 mL. When divided into low dose ( < 15 mCi, n=46) and high dose (≥15 mCi, n=39) responder groups, TV was significantly lower in the low-dose responder group (25.7±11.4 vs. 48.4±31.3, p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off TV for the low-dose responder group was < 32.37 mL (sensitivity 80.9%, specificity 76.7%). CONCLUSION: TV had significant effects on the outcome of RAI in GD patients. The optimal fixed RAI dose for Korean GD patients with a large goiter (≥33 mL) should be at least 15 mCi to achieve the best outcome.
Biomarkers ; Consensus ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Goiter ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Iodine ; Jeollanam-do ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroxine ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo comprehensively evaluate the treatment of Graves' disease in children with (131)I and antithyroid drugs (ATD) and to quantitatively assess the advantages and disadvantages of them.

METHODSThe authors examined the outcome of (131)I and ATD treatment in children with Graves' disease at the Hospital of Dongshan District in Guangzhou during the period 1997 to 2002. Each of the 2 groups of patients consisted of 40 patients ranging in age from 8 to 14 years (mean 10.7 +/- 2.2). The groups were similar in age, gender, length of disease, goiter size, and initial serum thyroid hormone levels. Thyroid status was assessed > 2 year after the therapies started. The efficacy of the therapeutic methods were scored as follows: the children whose disease was cured were marked 0, and those who had improvement but were not cured were marked 1, and those who remained unchanged were marked 2. After treatment the patients who were demonstrated to have ophthalmopathy or more severe ophthalmopathy, hyperthyroid heart disease, liver function damage and leukopenia were marked 2 respectively, and those who showed temporary hypothyroidism and permanent hypothyroidism were marked 1 and 2, respectively. Those who had a relapse of the disease after being cured were marked 2. The effects of two groups and total scores were compared.

RESULTSThe total score of the group treated with (131)I was 34; and the median score was 1; the total score of the group treated with ATD was 69, and the median score was 1.5; the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). When these two groups were compared, the advantage of (131)I in the treatment of this disease was clear. The incidences of ophthalmopathy and improvement of ophthalmopathy of the two groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). No significant difference was found in incidence of hypothyroidism between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant worsening or new development of ophthalmopathy or hypothyroidism after (131)I and ATD treatment. The rate of relapse of hyperthyroidism among patients cured with (131)I was significantly lower than that among patients cured with ATD (P < 0.05). In the patients treated with (131)I the incidences of hyperthyroid heart disease, liver function damage, leukopenia and so on were significantly lower than those of patients treated with ATD (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS(131)I therapy was superior to the ATD in treatment of the children with Graves' disease. Observations for more than 2 years after treatment with (131)I showed that there were no harmful side effects or complications. (131)I can be recognized as the safer, more convenient and effective treatment than ATD for Graves' disease in children.

Adolescent ; Antithyroid Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Female ; Graves Disease ; complications ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Graves Ophthalmopathy ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Hypothyroidism ; chemically induced ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Secondary Prevention ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is one possible treatment for patients resistant to conventional antithyroid drugs or requiring urgent attention for thyrotoxicosis. We report a 35-yr-old man with thyrotoxicosis, ultimately attributed to Graves' disease in whom antithyroid drug used initially was soon discontinued, due to abnormal liver function, and replaced by Lugol's solution. Three weeks later, an escape phenomenon (to Lugol's solution) was apparent, so we performed TPE to control the thyrotoxicosis. Two courses of TPE by a centrifugal type machine resulted in diminished levels of thyroid hormone levels, which then rebounded after another two courses of membrane filtration type TPE. However, the patient could be treated with radioactive iodine therapy without any complications at present.
Adult ; Antithyroid Agents/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Cetirizine/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Graves Disease/*radiotherapy ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/complications ; Humans ; Iodides/therapeutic use ; Iodine Radioisotopes/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Methimazole/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Plasmapheresis/*methods ; Thyroid Gland/*pathology ; Thyrotoxicosis/*therapy