[Treatment of feline hyperthyroidism with radioactive iodine-131]

Abstract

Feline hyperthyroidism can be treated by thyroidectomy, antithyroid drugs, or radioactive iodine-131 (131I). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the treatment of 83 hyperthyroid cats with 131I The dosage of 131I ranged from 4 to 6 milliCurie (mCi). Blood samples for determination of plasma concentrations of total thyroxine (TT4), urea, and creatinine were collected before, ten days after, and several months after treatment. In addition, arterial blood pressure was measured before and ten days after treatment. The median plasma TT4 concentration ten days after 131I treatment (27 nmol/L, 64 cats) was significantly lower than that before treatment (123 nmol/L). The median plasma TT4 concentration several months after 131I treatment was 22,5 nmol/L (40 cats). Ten days and several months after 131I treatment, plasma TT4 concentration had decreased below the upper limit of the reference range in 64 (77%) and 72 cats (87%), respectively. In four cats the plasma TT4 concentration had decreased below the lower limit of the reference range, but only two cats had symptoms of hypothyroidism. Plasma urea and creatinine concentrations were not increased ten days after 131I treatment, but the median plasma creatinine concentration was significantly higher several months after treatment when compared with before 131I treatment. Before treatment in 28 cats a high arterial blood pressure (> 180 mmHg) was measured, whereas after treatment in 25 cats a high arterial blood pressure was measured. The results of this study indicate that 131I treatment is an effective therapy in most cats with hyperthyroidism.