Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology

ea0015p215 | Pituitary | SFEBES2008

How reliable is the short Synacthen test in assessing the integrity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis: comparison with the insulin tolerance test

Seneviratne Nimal , Karavitaki Niki , Thornton-Jones Vivien A , Wass John A H

Background: Insulin-induced hypoglycaemia (ITT) is considered the gold standard method for the evaluation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. The standard short Synacthen test (SST) has been proposed as an alternative, but it may be associated with falsely reassuring results and potentially serious sequelae.Aim: To compare the serum cortisol response achieved in the SST with the one obtained during the ITT in patients with hypothalamo-pituitary di...