Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Adrenal masses can be detected by ultrasound with high sensitivity and specificity. However, a differentiation between benign and malignant adrenal masses is not possible with conventional ultrasound. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a established method for the characterization of focal liver lesions. A first pilot study (n=35) analyzing the dynamics of contrast-enhancement during CEUS reported a high sensitivity for differentiation of benign and mali...

Background and aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate real-time elastography (RTE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Sonovue (CEUS) for the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules using cytologic/histologic analysis as reference method. While first studies have reported excellent results of RTE for the differentiation of thyroid nodules, data on CEUS of the thyroid are rare.Methods: RTE was classified as: score 1=soft, 2=p...

Introduction: Work-up of thyroid nodules remains challenging. Thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) has been developed to improve patient management and cost-effectiveness by avoiding unnecessary fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in patients with thyroid nodules. However, since its publication in JCEM (2009) its clinical use is still very limited and its practicability in clinical practice is questioned. Realtime-elastography (RTE) enables the determination of ...

Background/aim: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression has been shown to be upregulated in several tumors and is thought to represent an important endogenous response to tumor progression. Therefore, in order to evaluate the role of VDR-gene and of the 25(OH)-Vitamin D3 in thyroid cancer we analysed four polymorphisms in patients with thyroid cancer and healthy controls.Patients and methods: Patients (n=136; 84 females and 52 males) with d...

Background: Previously, we reported an association of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) risk. The aim of the present study was to investigate other vitamin D pathway genes such as CYP27B1, CYP2R1 and CYP24A1 which code for enzymes that, respectively, synthesize and degrade 1,25(OH)2D3 in patients with DTC and healthy controls (HC). Also its influence on 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 ...