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Background: The latest United Kingdom National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline recommends 131I as first-line definitive treatment for Graves’ disease in patients who are unlikely to achieve remission with antithyroid medication. A small but significant proportion of patients have recurrence of hyperthyroidism after 131I therapy. Lithium enhances thyroidal iodine retention and thus increases radiation dose delivered to the thyroid gland during 131I therapy. While clinical trial findings with adjuvant Lithium have not been universally positive, several studies have demonstrated a favorable effect on cure rate, speed of cure and stabilization of thyroid hormone status during131I therapy. Aim: To determine the extent to which Lithium is used as an adjunct to 131I therapy for hyperthyroidism in the UK. Methods: We conducted a survey of 82 nuclear medicine departments and 236 consultant endocrinologists in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals across the UK. Results: Responses were received from 43 departments and 64 endocrinologists. Ten nuclear medicine departments reported that they do not perform therapeutic procedures. Amongst the remainder, only one department stated that Lithium is considered routinely as an adjunct to 131I for selected patients. Amongst consultant endocrinologists, only two indicated that they use Lithium as an adjunct to 131I therapy. Conclusions: Owing to mixed trial evidence and a lack of guideline support for adjunctive Lithium with 131I, its use is not widespread the UK at present. However, some researchers report that it might offer faster control of hyperthyroidism and reduce the amplitude of post-therapy thyroid function fluctuations. As these could be important determinants not only of quality of life but also of safety of treatment, our findings may be valuable to those planning randomized controlled trials of adjunctive Lithium with 131I therapy for Graves’ disease.

Survey of Practice: The Current Extent of Adjunctive Use of Lithium in the UK During Radioactive Iodine Therapy for Hyperthyroidism