Endocrine Abstracts

It is well established that external pituitary irradiation (EPI) effectively reduces serum growth hormone levels in acromegaly. However the effect of EPI in normalising serum insulin like growth factor-1 levels (IGF-1) remains disputed. We studied 60 patients between 1964 and 2004 who received EPI for acromegaly: 22 women, 38 men; mean age at diagnosis 38.5 years (range 14-68). Pituitary surgery was carried out in 50/60 patients; in 47 patients EPI was given after their last s...