Endocrine Abstracts

A 50 year old lady undergoing elective surgery for pyloric stenosis secondary to chronic ulceration, was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism (calcium 3 mmol/l), elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). Following exploratory parathyroidectomy, left and right superior parathyroid adenomas were removed. 2 years later she re-presented with hypercalcaemia (Calcium 2.74 mmol/l, PTH 26.5 pmol/l (1.1–6.8 pmol/l)) and appeared Cushingoid. Investigations confirmed Cushing’s ...

A 69-year-old female presented in 2002 with symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid function tests confirmed thyrotoxicosis with elevated fT4 and fT3 but with an elevated TSH (TSH 5.8 mU/l, fT4 31.7 pmol/l, fT3 8.1 pmol/l). Pituitary function tests other than the TSH were normal. Pituitary MRI showed a mass in the left half of the pituitary fossa, displacing the stalk to the right with no suprasellar extension. A T3 suppressi...

A 31-year-old Taiwanese lady presented with palpitations, anxiety, orthopnoea, peripheral oedema, diarrhoea and a swelling in her neck. She was taking no regular medication. Her paternal uncle had been treated for thyrotoxicosis. She smoked 20 cigarettes per day. Clinical examination revealed tachycardia (pulse rate between 115 and 150 beats/min), tachypnoea (respiratory rate 30 breaths/min), hypertension (BP 161/125 mmHg) and congestive cardiac failure. The thyroid gland was ...

Antipsychotic induced hyperprolactinaemia, mediated by blockade of dopamine D2 receptors, is much more common than prolactinoma in patients receiving antipsychotic medication. We present two cases of the latter.Case 1: A 47-year-old gentleman with depression treated with amitriptyline, fluoxetine and risperidone presented with headaches and a left sided visual field defect. Pituitary MRI showed a 2 cm macroadenoma abutting the optic chiasm. Prolactin was...