Endocrine Abstracts

Osteoporosis and Fracture: The Role of the Endocrine NurseThe importance of osteoporosis lies in the increased fracture risk associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD). Although osteoporosis is not painful, osteoporotic fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality; furthermore the occurrence of a fracture leads to an increased risk of subsequent fracture in both women and men.Identification of patients ...

A 64 year old man presented in 1992 with a dense bitemporal hemianopia and no endocrine symptoms. CT showed a large pituitary adenoma with suprasellar extension. He underwent transphenoidal resection of the tumour. Histology showed a typical chromophobe adenoma with no immunohistochemical staining. His vision recovered.He was followed regularly with serial MRI scan. No change was seen in the size of the residual intrasellar tumour. Pituitary testing show...

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...