Successful thyroid tissue ablation as defined by a negative whole-body scan or an undetectable thyroglobulin: a comparative study

BACKGROUNDSuccessful thyroid tissue ablation of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer can be defined by a negative whole-body scan (WBS) and/or an undetectable thyroglobulin (Tg). Variables associated with success are poorly understood. Tg measurement, although more sensitive than WBS, has not been firmly established as the sole monitoring method. In a previous study, we retrospectively evaluated the variables associated with scintigraphic success. Ablation dose (AD) was the only variable associated with success (odds ratio (OR)1.96 per 1.85 GBq increment; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.11–3.46). OBJECTIVES(1) To determine if the variables associated with success are the same using Tg. (2) To determine whether Tg measurement can become the sole method for assessing ablation success. METHODSWe performed the analysis using a Tg level