THYRPAN-TM Prototype: New System for Online Telemonitoring of Patients with Thyroid Carcinoma during the Treatment with a High Dose of Radioiodine

Abstract

Background: Our team devised a real-time telemonitoring system (THYRPAN-TM) for measurement of the radiation exposure rate during the hospitalization of patients treated with high doses of radioiodine in the special premises with restricted access ("restricted area" [RA]). Subjects and Methods: The THYRPAN-TM prototype was tested for stability, efficacy, and linearity in a 32-day measurement of a 110a MBq 131I source. Furthermore, it was tested on 15 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma who stayed in the RA for 3 days, following their radioiodine treatment. Results: Minor deviation from the theoretical values was detected when the 131I source was measured by the THYRPAN-TM, but only at the beginning of the measurement (7.20%). Conclusions: THYRPAN-TM is a stable, user-friendly detection system for the measurement of the exposure rate following radioiodine administration. It enables the telemonitoring of patients, as well as real-time and online measurement of the whole-body burden of 131I.