Endocrine Abstracts

Background: PA is a clinical syndrome secondary to hemorrhage or infarction of pituitary tumour, presenting with sudden onset headache and oculomotor palsy. PA may be managed conservatively in patients without visual disturbances.Aim: To describe PA patients illustrating typical aspects and peculiarities.Results: Case 1, a 49 years old (yo) male, presented for loss of consciousness in the ER. MRI showed a giant pituitary tumour, wh...

Background: Germline mutations of the AIP tumour suppressor gene are associated with familial and sporadic pituitary adenomas, yet the tumorigenic mechanisms remain unclear. In addition, AIP protein expression in somatotroph adenomas from patients without AIP mutations correlates with clinical behaviour and somatostatin analogues responsiveness. Understanding the regulation of AIP gene expression will help uncover its pituitary tumour-suppressor role.Aim...

Introduction: Pituitary incidentaloma (PitInc), defined as an unsuspected mass observed on imaging studies performed for unrelated conditions. Most such lesions are not clinically significant at initial evaluation and current guidelines recommend periodic follow-up.Aim: To present a rare case of delayed onset of acromegaly in a patient with a nonfunctioning PitInc, raising the question of the utility of prolonged follow-up of PitInc.<p class="abstext...

Introduction: Both TSH and prolactin serum levels within normal range were previously reported to be associated with metabolic parameters.Aim: To analyse the connections between serum levels of prolactin, TSH, and insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome patients.Material and methods: 322 PCOS patients (mean age 24.3±5.16 years and mean BMI 28±7.57 kg/m2) with normal serum prolactin and without thyroid d...

Background: Pituitary adenomas (PA) are slow-growing, benign intracranial tumors. Rarely, they can be histologically and clinically aggressive.Aim: To present a case of corticotroph PA with aggressive behavior following a long indolent interval after the initial surgery.Case presentation: A 47 years old female presented in Nov 2007 with right temporal hemianopsia and left eye blindness, associating type 2 DM and severe mixed dyslip...

The multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2A (MEN 2A) is the consequence of a heritable mutation in the RET proto-oncogene, leading to a very high predisposition to develop medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma and primary parathyroid hyperplasia. Screening of ‘at-risk’ family members and prophylactic thyroidectomy is recommended – but not always easily accomplished.Our proband was diagnosed with MTC in 1977 (at age 21),...

Background: PA is a frequent cause (5–13%) of secondary hypertension (HT), yet diagnostic work-up of PA remains challenging.Aim: To describe the characteristics of hypertensive patients diagnosed with PA, biochemical screening (aldosterone:renin ratio/ARR), confirmatory tests, and adrenal CT results.Methods: Clinical, hormonal and imaging evaluation.Results: 13 patients (7M/6F) with PA were 45 yrs (40&#1...

Background: Association of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and cortisol-producing adrenal adenoma is not part of the classical MEN syndromes. We present a clinical case raising the question of a common etiology for these tumours.Case Presentation: A 58-year-old female presented in 2010 for the investigation of a 6 cm left adrenal tumour incidentally discovered by abdominal CT. Medical history included smoking, obesity, myocardial infarction, hyper...

Introduction: PGs are rare neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), slowly growing, derived from the neural crest cells of the autonomous nervous system. Presenting symptoms are related to catecholamine hypersecretion or to mass effect. The optimal approach is dictated by size, symptoms and anatomical relationship of tumours with neurovascular structures.Aim: To describe a patient with bilateral carotid body and mediastinal carotid body PGs....

Background: Thyroid nodules were reported with high prevalence in acromegalic patients.Patients and methods: 63 acromegalic patients (16 males and 47 females), aged at diagnosis 43.6±12.7 years were retrospectively reviewed. Median duration of acromegaly was 8 years. 25 patients were residents in iodine deficient areas. GH, IGF1, TSH, FT4 were measured by chemiluminescence (Liaison). Thyroid ultrasound was performed. In suspected nodules,...