When the Number Matters: Contextualising Australian Reference Values for 99ᵐTc-Pertechnetate Thyroid Uptake

Are the historical 1%-4% thyroid uptake reference values still valid in modern practice? This editorial examines why contemporary Australian and international data suggest otherwise and situates the new reference range reported by Wornes (https://doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.70078) and colleagues within the broader international literature. It further identifies the one clinical scenario-distinguishing mild Graves' disease from silent thyroiditis-where quantitative uptake measurement genuinely changes management and argues for a nationally coordinated, prospectively designed re-derivation study.