Subtotal or total thyroidectomy is preferred for the treatment of Graves disease:
A. When radioactive iodine therapy is contraindicatedSubtotal or total thyroidectomy is now preferred over subtotal thyroidectomy due to a lower recurrence rate. Surgery is preferred over medical therapy (radioactive iodine) in childbearing women who desire to have children in the near future, in noncompliant patients, or when airway obstruction appears likely.