Factors influencing radioiodine uptake after thyroid cancer surgery.

Background: Total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation is indicated for most patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. There have been no quantitative studies testing factors that affect uptake on post-ablation whole body scan. We hypothesized greater RAI uptake in patients who underwent two-stage total thyroidectomy (diagnostic hemithyroidectomy followed by completion thyroidectomy) compared to patients who underwent one-stage total thyroidectomy.