Can the thyroid gland grow back years after radioactive iodine treatment?

[Carebear]

Hello dear friends,

I know that many of you have autoimmune thyroid disease, and there are also many smart cookies here who are medical professionals.

My question is simply:  can a thyroid "grow back " decades after receiving radioactive therapy for Graves disease?  And if so, what testing could determine this? I'm thinking about a scan or ultrasound,  maybe.

I know this is way out there.  But if you can offer me any information on this topic,  I would be so grateful.   Thank you friends.

[irish]

Just out of curiosity have you had your thyroid blood work done lately??? My thought is that having any tissue grow back would not mean anything unless the thyroid produced measurable hormone.  I have to admit this is the first time I have every heard this question broached by anyone, anywhere in all my years.

The answer should be "no" but then it comes to what should be and what could happen. I think you would be wise to see endocrinologist if you have questions. We have so many glands that produce hormones that might get interesting. Good luck and keep us updated please. Irish

[Linda196]

Apparently it can happen, rarely. I've read a few studies about long term Graves relapses after RAI therapy, and they seem to suggest that some undifferentiated  or immature thyroid cells becoming focused and mature, and begin to produce thyroxine, eventually requiring repeated RAI treatment.

This link is a fairly straightforward case study, but still has a lot of jargon:

http://researchopenworld.com/relapse-of-graves-disease-thirty-two-years-after-treatment-with-radioactive-iodine/