Iodine-131 (Noun)
Meaning
Heavy radioactive isotope of iodine with a half-life of 8 days; used in a sodium salt to diagnose thyroid disease and to treat goiter.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- The medical team treated the patient's hyperthyroidism with a controlled dose of iodine-131.
- Radioactive iodine-131 was used to destroy part of the thyroid gland affected by cancer.
- To treat her goiter, the patient underwent a treatment with iodine-131 administered orally.
- Iodine-131 was used to diagnose a thyroid disease by measuring its uptake in the thyroid gland.
- The small dose of iodine-131 administered to the patient made it possible to visualize her thyroid gland and diagnose its abnormalities.