Endocrine Abstracts

Prolactinomas are the most common pituitary tumours with a prevalence varying from 0.3 to 0.5/1000 in the general population. This tumor has a large female predominance and a median age at diagnosis of 30 years. Prolactinomas in men are characterized by a larger size and a higher frequency of compressive symptoms, invasiveness, and resistance to therapy. Although the diagnosis of prolactinoma is often straightforward and the treatment strategy has been well defined in recent g...

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant inherited tumour syndrome with an important phenotypic variability. Genetic testing for VHL is simple and accurate.Objective: In this study, we investigated the relationships between genotype and phenotype in a series of patients with different VHL gene mutations.Method: This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical and molecular characteristics of 15 VHL pati...

Background: Acromegaly is frequently associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes and treatment has also differential effects on glucose metabolism depending on specific type of medication.Objective: To study in 57 acromegalic patients evolution of glucose metabolism according to disease activity and treatment.Methods: IGF1 measurement, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HOMA test to evaluate insulin sensitivity...

Background: Insulinomas are the most common functional neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas. Hypoglycaemic manifestations are highly variable and largely independent on tumour size and severity of insulin hypersecretion.Objectives: In this study we investigated the clinical, biological and tumoural characteristics of a large series of patients with insulinoma and we evaluated the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin before and after surgery.</p...

Gangliocytomas are uncommon neuronal tumors that can sometimes cause endocrine syndromes. A few such cases have been reported in association with Cushing’s disease. In most instances, the tumor contained CRH and was associated with pituitary corticotroph hyperplasia or adenoma (mixed lesion). Only one case of isolated gangliocytoma causing Cushing’s disease per se has been described.We report the case of a 62 year-old woman whose clinical pictu...

Introduction: Cushing’s disease (CD) is a severe disease, associated with an increased rate of comorbidities and mortality. Remission rate after surgery of pituitary tumor, is around 78%. Relapse occurs in 13% of patients within 10-years after surgery. According to guidelines, patients with unfeasible or non-curative surgery, require additional treatment, including medical therapies. Metyrapone, inhibits 11ß-hydroxylase enzyme, blocking the final step of cortisol syn...

Objectives: Surgery of pheochromocytomas (PC) still carries a high risk of hemodynamic complications during the perioperative period. We aimed to evaluate the influence of their secretory phenotype and preoperative alpha-blocker treatment on surgical outcome.Design: A retrospective monocentric study at a tertiary medical center.Patients: 80 consecutive patients operated for an adrenal PC between 1988 and 2018.<p class="abstext"...

Introduction: Thyrotropin receptor stimulating antibodies (TRAb) are responsible for Graves’ disease (GD) manifestations. Other thyroid antibodies, namely thyroperoxidase (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin (TGAb) antibodies are highly prevalent in GD, but their roles in GD presentation and evolution are controversial.Methods: We retrospectively analysed TPOAb and TGAb levels and evolution in 88 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed GD between 2000 and 20...

Introduction: Primary Adrenal Insufficiency (PAI or Addison’s disease) is a rare disease with an increasing prevalence that may be complicated by life-threatening acute adrenal crisis. Valid epidemiological data are difficult to obtain. In Belgium, a national PAI registry had not been established yet.Objective: We collected epidemiological and clinical data in a large cohort of adult patients with a known Addison’s disease to have a better know...

To estimate the point prevalence of active Cushing’s disease (CD) in Belgium, all endocrinologists were invited to perform a retrospective chart review of the CD patients they had been treating between 1-1-2009 and 31-12-2010.Only patients requiring cortisol lowering therapy because of cortisol excess could be included, such as de novo patients (n=53), previously diagnosed patients with persisting/recurrent disease after pituitary surgery a...