[Cytological radiotoxicity of radioiodine therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma]

Cytological radiation damage to lymphocytes can result in augmentation of cells with micronuclei. In this study we investigated Cytological radiation damage to peripheral blood lymphocytes using the micronuclei assay [MNA] method. Considering the value of Iodine-131 in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine and high absorbed dose of I131 radioiodine in comparison with gamma emitters and the effect of type of radiation, dose and species on radiosensitivity of patients, this study was conducted. To evaluating the Cytological radiotoxicity of therapeutic radiotracers such as radioiodine I131. We studied 22 patients with differential thyroid carcinoma who were referred for treatment with 100 or 150 mci I131. Before and one weak after treatment the peripheral lymphocytes were harvested and isolated by a Cytological method and assayed for frequency of micronuclei as a marker of Cytological radiotoxicity. The means of micronuclei in one hundred binuclear lymphocytes were 6.3 +/- 2.2 before treatment and 9.6 +/- 3.1 after treatment, differences in the number of micronuclei being statistically significant [p value <0.05]. High doses of radioiodine therapy used after surgery for differentiated thyroid carcinoma can increase micronuclei among peripheral lymphocytes as an indirect marker of chromosomal aberrations and cytotoxic radiation damage

[Erect esophageal transit scintigraphy, manometry, and barium swallow in assessment of patients with achalasia before and after balloon dilation]

Achalasia is a motility disorder of unknown etiology. Diagnostic techniques include Barium esophagram, simple and widely available, radionuclide transit/emptying scintigraphy, a low-cost procedures, easy to perform and widely available, well tolerated and require minimum cooperation by patients and esophageal manometry that continues to be used widely in clinical practices, primarily because of its perceived value. Aim of this study was to compare methods of manometry, barium swallow and scintigraphy before and after pneumatic dilation. 17 patients with achalasia of cardia were evaluated both symptomatically and objectively [esophageal manometry, timed barium esophagram, and scintigraphic emptying Index] before treating them with pneumatic dilation and after. The degree of patient symptom

Pediatric radiation exposure from diagnostic nuclear medicine examinations in Tehran

As a part of a nationwide survey to estimate population exposure to radiation from diagnostic nuclear medicine in Iran, this paper presents the pediatric population radiation exposure due to nuclear medicine examinations in Tehran. The effective dose equivalent, HE, was used to calculate the collective effective dose in pediatric patients undergoing nuclear medicine procedures, and the corre-sponding data were obtained from thirty out of thirty seven active nuclear medicine departments in Tehran. Annually about 5.26% of nuclear medicine examinations were performed on patients under 15 years of age in Tehran. The most frequent was renal examinations [38.2%], followed by thyroid [27.4%] and bone [26.7%]. The annual collective HE for patients under 15 was 19.03 human-Sv, which contributed 3.96% to the collective HE for all patients. The contribution of renal, bone and thyroid examinations to the pediatric collective HE were 24.6%, 48.8% and 13.5% respectively. The mean effective dose equivalent per pediatric patient was 3.75 mSv. Among the three most frequent examinations, the bone with a relative frequency of 27.4% constituted 48.8% of the collective HE, which was the highest absorbed dose per examination. The mean effective dose per examination for patients younger than 15 years was 67.9% of the adults