Doctor Thyroid

Not all thyroid cancer patients who receive a thyroidectomy require radioactive iodine, but for those whose cancer maybe more aggressive and spread beyond the thyroid area, often radioactive iodine (RAI) is protocol.  RAI treatment may vary depending on the hospital.   For example, in this interview you hear protocol for RAI at Cedars Sinai.  In this interviews, Dr. Alan Waxman explains what occurs leading up to, during, and after RAI.   Topics discussed include: If staying at the hospital after taking RAI, how long is the stay required? Should you go home after RAI? What is the benefit of staying overnight at the hospital when receiving RAI? Worldwide trends toward prescribing lower doses of RAI. Is there risk in RAI causing leukemia? The importance of ultrasound prior to administering RAI of done. The need to stimulate TSH prior to administering RAI. Withdrawal versus injections in raising TSH levels. Damage to salivary glands.  Alan D. Waxman, MD is Director of Nuclear Medicine at the S. Mark Taper Found