Diagnostics and Theranostics of Benign Thyroid Disorders

Abstract

AbstractThyroid scintigraphy is an evergreen in nuclear medicine imaging and up to date represents the only “in vivo” diagnostic imaging method able to evaluate thyroid functional status in patients with thyroid disorders.It is able to identify hyperfunctioning (i.e., “hot”) or hypofunctioning (i.e., “cold”) nodules such as an increased tracer uptake in the whole gland common in patients affected by autoimmune thyroid disorders (i.e., Graves’ disease).Most hyperthyroid patients and selected patients affected by non-toxic thyroid disorders can be successfully cured using iodine-131, the first theragnostic agent in nuclear medicine. Indeed, it is able to treat thyroid disorder by β decay while γ-emission allows us to observe its distribution in the gland.Millions of people have worldwide been treated by iodine-131 since its first use by Dr. Saul Hertz in a young female patient affected by Graves’ disease.Being an effective and safe therapy, iodine-131 therapy is now considered as a therapeutic option both in selected pediatric patients such as in those affected by non-toxic goiter. In these latter, its use is more common than in the past.The present chapter is prompted to provide the readers with an updated overview on diagnostic and theragnostic approach to patients affected by benign thyroid disorders.