Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The obesity epidemic is growing at an alarming rate. The body volume index (BVI) scanner is a novel machine that produces a true scale 3D body image of the whole body within 6 s and may have a role in the management of obesity.Method: In a pilot study, we set out to assess the impact of BVI scanning on weight loss during a standard weight loss programme in overweight subjects. Forty-three subjects were given standard dietary and lifestyle a...

Background: Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are currently used to assess obesity. BMI and WC do not take into account fat/muscle distribution or allow for distinctions between gender, age or ethnicity. WC reflects abdominal fat distribution more accurately, but is operator-dependant and variable in terms of reproducibility. BVI is a totally new, reproducible and novel concept using a 3D body scanner and appropriate software, to measure total body and 8 body ...

Type 1B pseudohypoparathyroidism is characterised by renal resistance to parathyroid hormone in the absence of other endocrine or physical abnormalities. We present a 36-year-old lady with pseudohypoparathyroidism diagnosed aged seven following seizures with hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase, elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) at 700 pg/mL (<120) and no cyclic AMP response to bovine PTH. There was no family history or diagnostic phenotypic fe...

We present the case of a 77-year-old lady who had a previous total pharyngo-laryngo-oesophagectomy for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Her serum calcium had been normal on alfacalcidol and calcium supplementation for six months. She was admitted with dehydration and symptoms of hypercalcaemia on two different occasions, with corrected calcium 3.86 and 4.67 mmol/l. Each time she was treated with intravenous fluids and intravenous disodium pamidronate 60 mg by the admitting t...

A 64-year-old morbidly obese female was admitted with a history of bilateral lower leg ulceration, chronic venous insufficiency and biventricular cardiac failure. There was no relevant family history. She was commenced on furosemide and prophylactic enoxaparin. Biochemical investigations showed persistently elevated serum potassium concentrations (5.7 to 8.2 mmol/L) and low sodium levels (111 to 131 mmol/L). She had not been prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, a...

Introduction: Thyroid nodules have a prevalence of 50% in the adult population in the UK. The risk of cancer is significantly lower if the nodules are a part of multi-nodular goitre. Fine needle aspiration and cytology (FNAC) is an important tool to assess the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules.Method: We audited the safety and efficacy of management of thyroid nodules at Bolton in accordance with British Thyroid Association and Royal College of Patho...