Endocrine Abstracts

Context: Respiratory failure as a component of severe hypothyroidism has high mortality and a number of pathological mechanisms have been proposed. These range from cerebral causes to neuromuscualr and pulmonary factors. Changes due to mucopolysacharide deposition in the lungs is another postulated mechanism, but radiological changes are hitherto not clinically demonstrated.Objective: A case of hypothyroidism with hypoxia associated with CT features sugg...

Case history: A 20-year-old man was referred to the metabolic bone clinic following a left sided neck of femur fracture (sustained after a simple fall whilst roller skating). He was otherwise well with no past medical history; systemic enquiry was unremarkable. A DEXA scan revealed osteoporosis (Z scores: total hip −2.97; lumbar spine −3.1), and bone turnover markers were significantly raised. Unexpectedly, the patient was found to have an elevated serum t...

Background: Pituitary apoplexy is a relatively rare but important clinical syndrome which may be associated with acute headache, visual compromise and hypopituitarism. It can be the initial presentation of a previously unsuspected pituitary macroadenoma. Recognised risk factors include hypertension and the use of antiplatelet agents and/or anticoagulant therapy. It may be life-threatening, requiring emergency endocrine (e.g hydrocortisone) replacement therapy[1] and...

Case history: A previously healthy 39 year-old male presented to his optometrist with visual disturbance. Visual field perimetry confirmed bitemporal hemianopia, prompting referral to endocrinology. On questioning, he reported an increase in hand and shoe size, but no headache or diaphoresis. Examination revealed classical acromegaloid features including prognathism, spatulate hands and prominent orbital margins, as well as marked bilateral macro-orchidism.<p class="abstex...

Acromegaly is a clinical manifestation of excessive peripheral growth hormone (GH) action. Most cases result from pituitary somatotroph adenomas displaying varying degrees of GH immunoreactivity. Occasionally, GH is cosecreted with a second hormone from adenomas containing mixed cell populations (e.g. somatolactotroph tumours). Coexistence of multiple discrete adenomas, identical or distinct in hormone secretion, is infrequent. In very rare cases, acromegaly results from neuro...

Background: Thyrotropinomas (TSHomas) are traditionally considered a rare, albeit important cause of thyrotoxicosis. Although early case series reported a predominance of invasive macroadenomas, emerging evidence suggests microadenomas are being increasingly diagnosed, and the clinical/biochemical phenotype appears to be more variable than previously suspected. We therefore performed detailed phenotyping of patients referred to our centre with a diagnosis of TSHoma over a 4-ye...

Background: BIPSS remains the gold standard for differentiating pituitary and ectopic sources in ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. A pituitary:peripheral ACTH ratio >2 in the basal state, and/or >3 following CRH stimulation, is considered indicative of pituitary Cushing’s, with a range of sensitivities and specificities cited in the literature. In addition, in Cushing’s disease a peak interpetrosal gradient of >1.4 has been reported to predict the s...

Case Report: A 49-year-old man presented with a two-year history of thyrotoxic symptoms for which he had been investigated on several occasions. He had a past medical history of dilated cardiomyopathy, which had been attributed to excess alcohol consumption, and had also suffered episodes of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. His family history was strongly positive for autoimmune thyroid disease. Eventually, he was found to have an elevated fT4 (53 pmol/L, RR 12–22) ...

Background: In a sub-group of patients with newly diagnosed pituitary adenomas, conventional MRI will fail to confidently localise the tumour. The role of molecular imaging for these patients is increasingly being recognised, both in terms of confirming diagnosis and in guiding targeted therapy; 11C-Methionine PET co-registered with volumetric MRI (Met-PET/MRCR) can enhance decision making in this group of patients. However, in some cases distinguishing t...

Objective: To determine if an extended lateral approach to trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS), guided by 11C-Methionine PET/CT co-registered with volumetric MRI (Met-PET/MRCR), can lead to remission in patients with persistent acromegaly due to post-operative lateral/para-sellar tumour remnants.Methods: We identified eight patients with persistent acromegaly following primary intervention [TSS ± medical therapy ± radiotherapy ...