Endocrine Abstracts

Pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas (PPGLs) are catecholamine secreting tumors that, if missed or not properly treated, can be devastating due to potential lethal cardiovascular complications. The 2014 Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline on PPGL includes recommendations regarding optimalperi-operative care [1]. The main goal of preoperative management is to prevent a patient from developing anesthesia- or surgery-induced catecholamine storm. This warrants the involvemen...

After establishing a biochemical diagnosis, pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas can be localized using different imaging modalities. Appropriate imaging is critical for primary tumor localization, the detection of multiple primary tumors and the detection of metastases. This will guide the optimal choice between curative surgery and palliative treatment options.First line anatomical imaging modalities for pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma imaging inclu...

Paragangliomas (PGLs) derive from either sympathetic tissue in adrenal and extra-adrenal locations, or from parasympathetic tissue of the head and neck. Adrenal PGLs are usually referred to as pheochromocytomas. Most patients with adrenal and extra-adrenal abdominal PGLs have increased plasma and urine concentrations of catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine). Typical symptoms and signs of catecholamine excess include headache, palpitations, diaphoresis, and ...

The biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytomas and extra-adrenal paragangliomas can be established by the measurement of plasma free metanephrines and 24 h urinary excretion of fractionated metanephrines. After establishing the biochemical diagnosis, tumours can be localized using different anatomical and functional imaging modalities. These include computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using [123I]-metai...

At our department of Endocrinology a 44-year-old patient with typical clinical signs of Cushing’s disease presented. Diagnostic procedure showed an ACTH-producing adenoma of the pituitary gland, so the patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery. Afterwards, hypercortisolism persisted and was treated with Ketoconazole. After a short period of time a pituitary hemorrhage occurred and resulted not only in a complete remission of Cushing’s symptoms, but also in hypopituit...

Objective: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is associated with metabolic parameters and involved in glucose metabolism. Low IGF1 has been implicated in the etiology of glucose intolerance. However, epidemiological data are scarce and the role of IGF1 in prospective studies is not clear to date.Research design and methods: We measured IGF1 levels in 7665 subjects free of diabetes from two German prospective cohort studies, the DETECT study and SHIP and...

Objective: The majority of circulating testosterone is bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), but also to albumin and cortisol-binding globulin. The remaining part is free-circulating testosterone unattached to serum proteins, which represents the active form of the hormone. A common measurement of the free testosterone is the calculated free testosterone index (FTI)=100*(total testosterone/SHBG). Testosterone is the principal male sex hormone and is involved in the reg...

Objectives: While evidence for an increased risk of hypertension in both overt hyperthyroidism and overt hypothyroidism is consistent, the relation between subclinical hyperthyroidism and blood pressure has not yet received sufficient attention. We aimed to investigate possible associations of decreased serum thyrotropin levels and subclinical hyperthyroidism with blood pressure, pulse pressure, and the risk of hypertension.Design: The population-based c...

Context: Previous studies suggest that total testosterone levels influences lipid metabolism. It has not been investigated whether these levels are prospectively associated with an unfavourable lipid profile including increased risk of incident dyslipidemia.Design and setting: We used data of 1468 men aged 20–79 years, repeatedly examined in the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. Serum total testosterone levels, measured by chemiluminesc...

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is a common disease. It arise due to interactions between genetic background and environmental factors. However this interactions remain unclear. As it induces other autoimmune diseases, parvovirus is an attractive candidate.Objective: To investigate the presence of parvoviral DNA in postoperative thyroid tissues.Materials and methods: We collect prospectively postoperative thyroid sp...