Endocrine Abstracts

PPGL’s are tumours arising from adrenomedullary and extra-adrenal chromaffin cells. The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) has issued updated guidance on the minimum dataset requirements in the histopathological reporting of PPGLs. The datasets enable pathologists to grade and stage cancers in a consistent manner and provide prognostic information, to facilitate the highest standard of care for patients. This retrospective analysis was conducted to assess if PPGL hist...

The short synacthen test (SST) is the most commonly performed investigation to assess adrenal function. We retrospectively audited the SSTs performed by the endocrine department in University Hospital Limerick between 2022 and 2024. The SST was performed as per our hospital protocol. A post-adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) cortisol response of 450 nmol/l (using Roche Elecsys Cortisol III immunoassay) at any time point was considered adequate to rule out adrenal insufficiency...

Patients with adrenal insufficiency should be prescribed stress dose steroids in acute settings to avoid adrenal crisis. Adrenal crisis is life-threatening if not recognized and if treatment is delayed. This audit aimed to identify the current practice of sick-day rule management in University Hospital Limerick of admitted patients with adrenal insufficiency. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on inpatients referred for endocrinology consultation for adrenal insufficienc...

Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life threatening emergency and its management is frequently protocolised. Adherence to protocols has been shown to shorten the time to DKA resolution however the management recommendations outlined in most DKA protocols is based on weak evidence and/or consensus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency with which divergence from local DKA protocol was observed at our institution. A retrospective review of medical records was conduct...

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is a large model 4 hospital in Ireland’s Midwest serving a population of ~413,000 people. The radiology department performs an average of 220 thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) per year. The aim of this study was to determine how many non-diagnostic or unsatisfactory results are returned, necessitating repeat FNAB. Data was collected on the previous 502 thyroid FNAB results using the hospital laboratory information system. O...