Endocrine Abstracts

Ergot derived dopamine agonist therapy (EDDAT) has recently been associated with fibrotic cardiac valvulopathy in patients with Parkinson’s disease. These patients received a cumulative dose of 2800–6700 mg of cabergoline for an average duration of two years. This has raised concerns about the use of these agents in patients with prolactinomas and has led to the recent EMEA/MHRA guidance that all patient being treated with EDDA should undergo surveillance echocardiog...

It is common practice to attempt withdrawal of dopamine agonist (DA) therapy in patients with microprolactinomas who have achieved sustained normoprolactinaemia. There is, however little evidence to indicate which patients might attain long-term remission. The aim of this prospective study was to identify clinical factors that might predict such remission.We recruited 40 patients (39 females and 1 male, age 24-60 years) with a diagnosis of microprolactin...

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) associated with dilated cardiomyopathy without LVH is rare but important to recognise as treatment of CS can lead to total recovery of heart function.A 30-year-old previously fit and well Turkish man presented with chest pain and was diagnosed with NSTEMI and CCF. An MRI of the heart and CT coronary angiogram showed normal coronary arteries but a large right adrenal tumour of 11.5 cm with extension into IVC. The transthoracic...

Introduction: A 59-year-old gentleman with longstanding poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, depression and type 2 respiratory failure was seen in diabetes review clinic and noted to have truncal obesity, moon facies and wasting of the proximal muscles.Investigations: Urinary free cortisol was 782 nmol/24 h (NR <200). Midnight cortisol was 595 and 532 nmol/l on consecutive days. After low dose d...

Background: Withdrawal of dopamine agonist (DA) therapy in the management of microprolactinoma is common practice. It is unclear however which patients are likely to attain long term remission.Aims: The aim of this prospective study was to identify clinical factors that might predict long term remission.Subjects: Fourty subjects (39 female, aged 24–60 years) with microprolactinoma; all had been normoprolactinaemic on DA therap...

Background: Auto-immune Addison’s disease (AAD) is the most prevalent cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in the UK. Co-morbidities are commonly associated with AAD and can manifest years after the initial diagnosis. There is no clear consensus on the optimal surveillance and management of this condition.Objectives: To establish the prevalence of co-morbidities, assess bone health and review clinical surveillance practice of patients attending an...

Parathyroidectomy is the only definitive cure for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). The standard for pre-operative localisation of parathyroid pathology at our institution is both a (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT/CT (sestamibi) and neck ultrasound scan (USS). The aim of this audit was to assess the accuracy of this standard pre-operative imaging.Methods: Retrospective data was gathered from all parathyroidectomies performed at St Thomas’ Hospital between...