[Four-year follow-up of thyrotoxic patients treated with antithyroid drugs bases on thyroid suppressibility-Prognostic value of the 20-min 131-I thyroid uptake (author's transl)].

Out of 77 thyrotoxic patients treated with Carbimazole (30-15 mg/day) in combination with 1-triiodothyronine (75 micron/day) for 5-48 months applying 20-min 131I-thyroid uptake test at the end of treatment as a parameter for thyroid suppressibility, 39 cases (51%) have maintained euthyroid state for more than 4 years, while 20 (26%) relapsed within 3 months and the remaining 18 (23%) recurred within 6 years after antithyroid-drug (ATD) therapy. The predictable value of 20-min 131I-thyroid uptake was useful for distinguishing relapses from others, but there was no statiscally significant difference between recurrent cases and remittent ones. Since the negative correlation between the 20-min 131I-thyroid uptake and the recurrent phase was noted, the continuation of ATD therapy until the uptake reaches below 8% postpones this phase of recurrence.