Endocrine Abstracts

Radioimmunoassay of steroid hormones is widely used but in application to clinical samples the technique can give erroneous results. In the diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency raised plasma levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) are supportive evidence for the disorder. In the immunoassay of 17-OHP there are particular difficulties with the assay of plasma from neonates due to interference from steroids such as 17-hydroxypregne...

The outcome of parathyroid surgery is often not clear for at least 24 hours after an operation. Frozen section is not always helpful in distinguishing between adenoma and hyperplasia. Minimally invasive surgical techniques are being refined so the need for perioperative assurance about the effects of surgery has increased. PTH assays have been adapted to give results in less than 20 minutes. We have tested the value of intraoperative PTH measurements in 10 surgical cases under...