Radioiodine is administered in stand-alone facilities in Russia that are strictly regulated. There are only 2 such facilities in the Moscow region. Today we visited the Russian Scientific Center of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. There is no such thing as "outpatient" radioiodine treatment in Russia.
This is the inpatient facility for patients receiving radioiodine. The patients are instructed by the staff, through audio, and then self-administer their radioiodine. They are sequestered for 2-4 days in these rooms. To measure blood pressure, the patient extends their arm through a small window to nurses on the non-contaminated" 
The patients are monitored by closed-circuit camera 24 hours a day. They bring their own SIM card and are given a facility cell phone to use. 
That's so interesting that they have specially designed rooms for RAI treatment. It looks a bit like a psych ward! Do patients need to stay inpatient even if they get smaller doses of RAI for Graves?
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as outpatient radioiodine treatment. In fact, the plumbing from the nuclear medicine facility stores all the waste from these patients indefinitely in tanks under the parking lot.
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