ABSTRACT

The effectiveness and complications of surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, which have been two treatment modalities in Basedow-Graves disease were investigated retrospectively by comparing 24 patients who were performed thyroidectomy and 15 patients who received radioactive iodine therapy for Basedow-Graves disease between January 2004 and July 2005. Of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the surgery group, total thyroidectomy was performed in 11 patients. I131 treatment with a mean dose of 15.67±5.30 mCi (median 15.00) was administered in the radioactive iodine therapy group. The mean period of reaching euthyroid state after surgery was 2.33±0.97 months, whereas it was 4.28±1.54 months in the radioactive iodine therapy group (p<0.05). There was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to hypothyroidism. Radioactive iodine treatment is currently the most preferred method in the treatment of Basedow-Graves disease because of its ease of administration and cost, however it cannot be used in pregnancy and lactation, and use of it in children is under debate. Surgery is the best treatment modality in selected patients with minimal complications and recurrence risk.