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Advantages of Radioiodine

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Radio-Iodine Basics: Given as a near-painless injection under the skin (similar to receiving a vaccine), the radioactive iodine is concentrated in the hyperactive portion of your cat’s thyroid gland. The radiation kills the abnormal cells while sparing all of the normal (inactive) cells. The residual radiation is then cleared from the body of the next several days.

The Power of I-131 Therapy:
Curing 98% of Cats!

One-time treatment that safely and permanently cures feline hyperthyroidism—without surgery or daily medication.

Advantages of Radioiodine over other Treatment Options

  • Anesthesia and associated risks
    While anesthesia has gotten progressively safer and more advanced over the last few decades, there are some unavoidable risks associated with it. In addition, hyperthyroid cats are older and most often have at least some amount of cardiovascular (heart and blood pressure) compromise making them less-than-ideal candidates for anesthesia. Some cats may be deemed an unacceptable anesthetic candidate due to risks from systemic illness.
  • Identifying the affected side (or sides) of the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland can be challenging.
    Radioactive imaging (nuclear scan) is required to confidently identify the abnormal tissue and usually requires referral to a separate facility. In approximately 10-20% of cases, active thyroid tissue will be found in areas of the body not accessible to surgery (such as within the chest) and in these cases surgery will not be successful in resolving the hyperthyroidism. If any abnormal tissue is left behind after surgery, relapse of hyperthyroidism will occur, most often within six to twelve months.
  • If both sides of the thyroid gland are affected, the surgeon may elect to only remove one side during the first surgery.
    While this approach is potentially safer, it will necessitate two separate anesthetic episodes with the two separate surgeries.
  • Anatomy in the area of surgery can present its own challenges.
    As the name suggests, four parathyroid glands are located very close to the thyroid (two on each side). If these are damaged or inadvertently removed, life-threatening drops in calcium will occur and this must be carefully monitored for during the post-surgical period. In addition, important nerves (laryngeal nerve, sympathetic trunk, etc.) are located in the same area and may accidentally be damaged during surgery. Nerve damage can be temporary but is sometimes permanent.
  • Surgery is an invasive procedure with post-operative pain and recovery concerns.
    Cost of surgery (especially if nuclear imaging is done) may easily exceed the cost of I-131 (radio-iodine) treatment.
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