Endocrine Abstracts

A 22 year old female was referred for investigation of cramps in both hands, and tingling in her face. She also complained of lethargy and occasional dizziness. Routine testing by her General Practioner had demonstrated a low serum calcium. She had had problems at birth with hypocalcaemia. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism had been made previously, but she had stopped taking thyroxine medication. Both her mother and grandmother had required intermittent calcium supplementation. On...

J. Q. presented initially at age 2 years with hypoglycaemia following a six-hour fast prior to an elective surgical procedure. Investigations demonstrated a low plasma glucose (1.6mmol/l), elevated beta Hydroxybutyrate (5.2 mmol/l), normal lactate (1.09nmol/l) and a detectable serum insulin level (2.5 mU/L). A plasma amino-acid profile was normal. The dorsum of his hands and the extensor region of his arms were noted to be pigmented, however a synacthen test at that time, ind...

There have been few reports of long term remission rates after transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing's disease which incorporate both initial failure rates and later relapse rates. We have studied this in patients diagnosed and treated between 1979 and 2000. An early post-operative 0800h serum cortisol was measured 24h after the last dose of hydrocortisone, in addition to a low dose dexamethasone suppression test. Of the initial 63 patients, 18 did not achieve remission after su...