[Guideline for radioiodine therapy for benign thyroid diseases (version 4)].

Version 4 of the guideline for radioiodine therapy for benign thyroid diseases includes an interdisciplinary consensus on decision making for antithyroid drugs, surgical treatment and radioiodine therapy. The quantitative description of a specific goiter volume for radioiodine therapy or operation was cancelled. For patients with nodular goiter with or without autonomy, manifold circumstances are in favor of surgery (suspicion on malignancy, large cystic nodules, mediastinal goiter, severe compression of the trachea) or in favor of radioiodine therapy (treatment of autonomy, age of patient, co-morbidity, history of prior subtotal thyroidectomy, profession like teacher, speaker or singer).

[Procedure guidelines for radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid cancer (version 3)].

The procedure guideline for radioiodine therapy (RIT) of differentiated thyroid cancer (version 3) is the counterpart to the procedure guideline for (131)I whole-body scintigraphy (version 3) and specify the interdisciplinary guideline for thyroid cancer of the Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft concerning the nuclear medicine part. Recommendation for ablative (131)I therapy is given for all differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) >1 cm. Regarding DTC < or =1 cm (131)I ablation may be helpful in an individual constellation.

[Procedure guideline for iodine-131 whole-body scintigraphy for differentiated thyroid cancer (version 3)].

Version 3 of the procedure guideline for (131)I whole-body scintigraphy (WBS) is the counterpart to the procedure guideline for radioiodine therapy (version 3) and specify the interdisciplinary guideline for thyroid cancer of the Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft concerning the nuclear medicine part. (131)I WBS 3-6 months after (131)I ablation remains a standard procedure in an endemic area for thyroid nodules and the high frequency of subtotal surgical procedures. Follow-up without (131)I WBS is only justified if the following preconditions are fulfilled: low-risk group pT1-2, pN0 M0 with histopathologically confirmed pN0, (131)I uptake <2%, (131)I WBS during ablation without any suspicious lesion, stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg)-level 3-6 months after ablation <2 ng/mL, and absence of anti-thyroglobulin-antibodies with normal recovery-testing.

[Procedure guideline for thyroid scintigraphy (version 3)].

The version 3 of the procedure guideline for thyroid scintigraphy is an update of the procedure guideline previously published in 2003. The interpretation of the scintigraphy requires the knowledge of the patients' history, the palpation of the neck, the laboratory parameters and of the sonography. The interpretation of the technetium-99m uptake requires the knowledge of the TSH-level.

[Procedure guideline for radioiodine test (Version 3)].

The version 3 of the procedure guideline for radioiodine test is an update of the guideline previously published in 2003. The procedure guideline discusses the pros and cons of a single measurement or of repeated measurements of the iodine-131 uptake and their optimal timing. Different formulas are described when one, two or three values of the radioiodine kinetic are available.