Early versus delayed post-therapy whole body scintigraphy for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma: A meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Introduction@#No clear consensus exists as to the optimal timing for conducting whole body scintigraphy (WBS) after radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma. @*Objective@#This study aimed to compare the utility of early versus delayed post-therapy WBS in identifying residual lesions and metastases.@*Methods@#A systematic review of existing literature was done, yielding 6 observational studies relevant to the subject. Meta-analyses were done comparing lesion detecting rates of early (3-4 days post-RAI) and delayed (7-11 days post-RAI) post-therapy WBS for thyroid remnants and metastases in the lymph nodes, lungs, and bone using a random-effects model with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A subgroup analysis was also done relating to the type of collimator used in imaging.