Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours are rare tumours that arise from neuroendocrine cell types which are widespread throughout the body. These tumours can develop in many different organs and secrete a variety of hormones making biochemical monitoring of treatment/progression challenging. Previously patients at Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre were monitored using either a full gut hormone profile (GHP) or chromogranin A and B (CGs) measured at Charing Cross Hospital. A n...

Background/aims: Thyroglobulin (Tg) is used for monitoring patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy (TT) and radioiodine (RAI) ablation therapy for thyroid cancer. The current method is the Siemens Immulite assay with limit of quantification of 2 ng/mL following in-house evaluation. Recent guidelines suggest the use of high sensitivity Tg (hs-Tg) as an alternative to TSH stimulated Tg levels. The aim is to evaluate the hs-Tg Beckman Access II assay with a stated functio...

Background/aims: The short synacthen test (SST) is a dynamic function test used to assess the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Interpretation requires consideration of sample timing and cortisol method. Currently the 30 minutes post-synacthen cortisol (CORT30) at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) is >450 nmol/l measured on the Abbott Architect. A large reference range study published a cut-off of >430 nmol/l for this method. This audit aims to document clinic...

Background: Primary aldosteronism is an increasingly recognised cause of hypertension, caused by excess aldosterone secretion. Screening and confirmatory tests such as saline suppression tests (SST) require accurate measurements of aldosterone and use of appropriate cut-offs. Many laboratories have chosen liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) methods as issues of poor specificity have been reported for immunoassay methods. During the validat...

Background and Aims: Clinical management of women with hyperandrogenic symptoms varies widely and UK guidelines are lacking. Dependent on presentation, differential diagnoses may include thyroid dysfunction, hyperprolactinaemia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), hypercortisolism, acromegaly and pregnancy. Women presenting with hyperandrogenic symptoms can have a normal or elevated testosterone. This study describes hormone requesting relevant to these co...

Background and Aims: Clinical management of women with hyperandrogenic symptoms varies widely and UK guidelines are lacking. Dependent on presentation, differential diagnoses may include thyroid dysfunction, hyperprolactinaemia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), hypercortisolism, acromegaly and pregnancy. Women presenting with hyperandrogenic symptoms can have a normal or elevated testosterone. This study describes hormone requesting relevant to these co...

Neonatal salt wasting can present in neonates with a life-threatening state of hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia, dehydration and metabolic acidosis. The differential diagnosis of neonatal salt wasting includes congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) most commonly due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency, pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA), X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenital (AHC) and aldosterone synthase defects. Diagnostic work up should include serum measurement of ACTH, Cortisol, 17OH-prog...

A 13 year old female presented with a two day history of abdominal pain and vomiting which responded to analgesia. Pelvic ultrasound showed complex ovarian cysts and a pre-pubertal uterus. Initial blood tests were consistent with hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism (LH 31.5 U/l, FSH 14.3 U/l and oestradiol <70 pmol/l) and karyotype was 46 XX. Bone age was slightly delayed (measured 12.4 years, chronological age 13.7 years). On referral to paediatric endocrinology, the patient ...