Delivery of I-131 therapy dose though a PEG

[Chris Alston <alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu>]

>Reply-To: "Jacobus, John (OD)" <JJacobus@ORS.OD.NIH.GOV>
>
>We have a patient who has experienced a progressive dysphagia and is no
>longer able to swallow any liquids. Her dysphagia is thought to be from a "?
>benign esophageal stricture, assumingly secondary to mediastinal radiation
>and intense neck fibrosis. A recent CT and barium swallow by her local
>physician has failed to identify either an esophageal mass or periesophageal
>mass."
>
>Since she has no ability to swallow liquids, a PEG (percutaneous endoscopic
>gastrostomy tube) was placed by her local physician, creating an opening
>from the skin of her abdomen directly into her stomach. She places a feeding
>tube into this PEG hole and consumes liquid nutrition 6 times/day. In regard
>to her daily medications (i.e. Synthroid), she states she crushes it up and
>then flushes it into her PEG tube. She states she has never put a capsule
>into the PEG and is unsure if the diameter of the PEG hole would accept a
>capsule.
>
>We are currently planning to do both a I-131 scan dose and I-131 therapy
>dose.  Do you have any experience with this type of situation?
>
>-- John
>
>John Jacobus, MS
>Health Physicist
>National Institutes of Health
>Radiation Safety Branch, Building 21
>21 Wilson Drive, MSC 6780
>Bethesda, MD  20892-6780
>Phone: 301-496-5774      Fax: 301-496-3544
>jjacobus@ors.od.nih.gov (W)
>jenday1@email.msn.com (H)
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