TITLE:
Short- and Medium-Term Efficacy of Radioiodine Therapy in the Management of Graves’ Disease at the Nuclear Medicine Department of HOGIP
AUTHORS:
Mamoudou Salif Djigo, Benedicte Souho, Gora Thiaw, Adji Thioro Boye, Mamadou Dieng, Boucar Ndong, El Hadji Amadou Lamine Bathily
KEYWORDS:
Graves’ Disease, Radioiodine Therapy, Efficacy, Short-Term, Medium-Term
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Biophysics,
Vol.16 No.3,
July
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objectives: To evaluate the short-term (3 months) and medium-term (6 months) response to radioiodine therapy in patients treated for Graves’ disease. Patients and Methods: A prospective, longitudinal follow-up study conducted at the Nuclear Medicine Department of IDRISSA POUYE General Hospital in Dakar (Senegal) over a 10-month period (November 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024), involving 25 consecutive patients with confirmed Graves’ disease who provided informed consent. All 25 patients completed the 3-month follow-up visit; 25 patients also completed the 6-month follow-up visit. Results: The median age was 42 years [15 - 67 years] and the female-to-male ratio was 4:1, indicating a clear female predominance. Stress and weight loss were reported by all patients (100%). On clinical examination, goiter was found in 21 patients (84%). Biochemically, at initial diagnosis, free T4 (FT4) levels were elevated and TSH levels were suppressed in all patients (100%). TRAK tests were positive in 24 patients (96%). Fourteen patients (56%) underwent neck ultrasound revealing a median thyroid volume of 32.3 ml [10 - 52 ml]. The median dose of radioiodine therapy was 18.2 mCi (range: 12.6 - 20.2 mCi), administered as second-line treatment in 24 patients (96%). At 3 months post-radioiodine therapy, clinical euthyroidism was observed in 6 patients (23.8%), clinical and laboratory euthyroidism in 6 patients (23.8%), hypothyroidism in 7 patients (28.6%), and persistent hyperthyroidism in 6 patients (23.8%). At 6 months, outcomes were more favorable: 11 patients (44%) achieved clinical euthyroidism, 5 (20%) clinical and biochemical euthyroidism, 6 (24%) developed hypothyroidism, and 3 (12%) had persistent hyperthyroidism. Conclusion: Iodine-131 demonstrated short- and medium-term effectiveness in most patients with Graves’ disease, with most achieving euthyroidism or hypothyroidism within 6 months. Persistent hyperthyroidism remained in a minority of cases. Safety outcomes, including adverse events and ophthalmopathy evolution, were not systematically assessed in this study.