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Indeed, the combination of pre radioiodine treatment studies and lengthy post treatment hospitalization resulted in a total hospital stay for cats receiving radioiodine therapy of close to 3 weeks. Never-the-less, despite the lengthy hospital stay, the promise of a lifelong cure of the disease prompted large numbers of people with hyperthyroid cats to seek out this therapy. As a result facilities like the VMTH at the University of California, Davis soon developed a back log of appointments for people choosing this therapeutic option. “After my time at the University, it occurred to me that we needed to create a method of offering this profoundly valuable therapy that was more focused on the needs of the patient itself. This meant a shorter hospital stay.” says Broome.
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In 1986 Broome returned to his native southern California to establish the world's first private practice exclusively for the treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. Located in Orange County California, Advanced Veterinary Medical Imaging (originally named Veterinary Nuclear Imaging) began offering radioiodine therapy for cats with hyperthyroidism utilizing a schedule that ensured the cats would remain in the hospital for only 1 week. To streamline the process of radioiodine therapy AVMI performs the thyroid scan (more accurately called a thyroid scintigraphy) needed to confirm the patient's diagnosis and assist in radioiodine dose determination, on the same day the cat is admitted for therapy.
Based on its initial success, AVMI opened a second office in Los Angeles, California shortly thereafter. In the years following the successful launch of AVMI in southern California, the Radiologic Health Branch of the California Department of Health eased regulatory requirements such that most cats are now eligible for discharge only 3 days following radioiodine therapy. These changes represent a major reduction in total hospitalization time for radioiodine therapy when compared to the original cats treated in the early 1980's.