A comparison of methods for assessing patient body burden following 131I therapy for thyroid cancer.

The effectiveness of three methods of assessing the patient body burden following 131I therapy was compared: (a) urine assay, (b) external exposure rate measurements, and (c) predictions based on a pretherapy diagnostic work-up. The urine assay method exhibited the greatest potential for error and personnel risk. The diagnostic work-up provided predictions of the body burden as a function of time, which may be applied to estimate the expected hospital stay. The direct external exposure rate survey showed the potential for being an accurate, reliable, and relatively safe method of monitoring the patient body burden.