ABSTRACT
Radioactive 131 iodide (131I) therapy for Graves’ disease was first studied in 1940 and introduced into general practice in 1947. Experience has now accumulated over more than 50 years with treatment of hundreds of thousands of patients. 131I treatment is currently the most commonly used treatment for hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease in adults in the United States and Europe. The expected outcome of treatment is control of hyperthyroidism, and the eventual induction of hypothyroidism in the majority of patients. The treatment also probably exacerbates Graves’ ophthalmopathy in some patients.
