PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Ryu, Chang Hwan AU - Ryu, Junsun AU - Ryu, Youn Mi AU - Lee, You Jin AU - Lee, Eun-Kyung AU - Kim, Seok-Ki AU - Kim, Tae-Sung AU - Kim, Tae Hyun AU - Lee, Chang Yoon AU - Park, Seog Yun AU - Chung, Ki Wook AU - Jung, Yuh-S. TI - Administration of Radioactive Iodine Therapy Within 1 Year After Total Thyroidectomy Does Not Affect Vocal Function AID - 10.2967/jnumed.115.161463 DP - 2015 Oct 01 TA - Journal of Nuclear Medicine PG - 1480--1486 VI - 56 IP - 10 4099 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/10/1480.short 4100 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/10/1480.full SO - J Nucl Med2015 Oct 01; 56 AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of radioactive iodine therapy (RIT) on vocal function during the early follow-up period after total thyroidectomy (TT) using perceptive and objective measurements, questionnaires regarding subjective symptoms, and data on vocal function in a prospectively enrolled and serially followed thyroid cancer cohort. Methods: Of 212 patients who underwent TT and were screened between January and December 2010 at our hospital, 160 were included in the final analysis. Patients with the following histories were excluded: lateral neck dissection, organic vocal fold disease, external radiotherapy, and voice evaluation during thyroxine withdrawal. Patients were stratified into 3 groups: TT, TT with low-dose RIT (1.1–2.2 GBq), and TT with high-dose RIT (≥3.7 GBq). Voice evaluations were performed before surgery and at 1, 6, and 12 mo after TT. Results: Vocal characteristics were altered after TT, including changes on the grade, roughness, and strain scale; increased amplitude perturbation; decreased fundamental frequency; narrowed pitch range; and global disturbances in subjective functional parameters on the voice handicap index. However, the degree of vocal changes among the 3 groups did not significantly differ within the 1-y postoperative follow-up period. According to the results of subgroup analyses of patients who demonstrated good voice outcomes after TT, there were no significant functional differences among the 3 groups. Conclusion: RIT at any dose does not affect vocal function within 1 y of TT.