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Nuclear medicine therapy: Radioactive iodine therapy: Other

You were treated with radioactive iodine because of thyroid disease.

The thyroid is a small organ at the bottom of the neck. The thyroid gland needs iodine to produce important messenger substances for the body. These messenger substances influence the heartbeat, digestion, and body temperature, among other things.

The radioactive iodine is usually taken by mouth. It is absorbed through the mucous membrane in the gastrointestinal tract and in this way enters the blood. The thyroid gland is the only organ in the body that absorbs significant amounts of iodine from the blood. This means radioactive iodine accumulates in the thyroid gland. Radioactive iodine emits radiation. The intention is for the radiation to damage pathologically altered cells in the thyroid gland.

Additional indicator

If necessary, additional letters are appended to OPS codes to indicate which side of the body is affected.

  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the OPS code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).