Endocrine Abstracts

Longitudinal growth in children is determined by endochondrial ossification at the growth plates of long bones and spinal growth. Whilst the assessment, monitoring and treatment of conditions which are responsive to growth hormone is well documented, conditions where children have an underlying bone disorder are more challenging. This paper will outline the important, common, primary bone conditions that impact growth, the assessment and effects that disordered growth has on t...

Objectives: To compare the cell dynamics of term placental tissue in pregnancies conceived by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer with spontaneous pregnancies.Methods: Placental samples were obtained from singleton term IVF pregnancies (n=25) and singleton term spontaneous pregnancies (n=30). Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. The incidence of apoptotic and proliferative cells was determi...

Initial presentation: A 44 year-old Caucasian patient with severe and complex obesity and type 2 diabetes was referred to hospital diabetes clinic for optimal medication advice. Her BMI on presentation was 49 kg/m2, (148 kg) and HbA1c of 7.0%. Her treatment included metfomin, sulphonylurea, rapid acting insulin (total daily doses 30 unit), and long acting insulin (total daily doses 25 unit). She also suffers complications of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, osteoarthrit...

In 2008, we presented data showing that combining sonography and scintigraphy investigations resulted in the correct identification of a parathyroid adenoma in 97% (28/29) patients undergoing parathyroid surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Further to this audit we compared the treatment of PHPT against the standards set by NIH in 2008. All patients who had Setamibi +/ ultrasound scan over 18 month (July 2006 until December 2007) for biochemically confirmed PHPT wer...

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas that can lead to necrosis of the pancreas and if infected could lead to multi-organ failure. Common cause of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and excess alcohol consumption. Hypertriglyceridemia is becoming an increasing cause of acute pancreatitis and is diagnosed with serum triglyceride levels >1.7 mmol/l. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality.Case presentatio...

Introduction: Pituitary adenomas are benign tumours of the pituitary gland with an estimated prevalence rate of approximately 17%. Around 1 in 600 people have macroadenoma (>1cm) that can present with variety of visual problems classically as bitemporal hemianopia due to compression of the optic chiasm.Case presentation: 50-year-old male was admitted with 3months history of worsening headache and 4months of visual disturbances. Initially he was seen ...

Hypercalcaemia has been previously described in association with ketogenic diet (KD), occurring within 12 months of starting KD. We present a case where severe hypercalcaemia occured after four years on KD.Case: A 5.5-year-old boy referred for hypercalcaemia in context of early sepsis and background of Dynamin-1 gene mutation causing infantile epileptic encephalopathy. He had been commenced on KD at 18 months of age for drug-resistant seizures. A Deep Br...

Background: Aortic sized index (ASI) defined as aortic dimensions/body surface area (BSA), has been proposed as a method of identifying aortic dilatation in Turner syndrome. A recent paper reported centile charts of aortic dimensions across for BSA using echocardiogram in 451 children and adults with TS allowing for calculation of Z scores.1Methods: We report Z scores for aortic root adjusted for BSA from clinical echocardiog...

Background: Cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD), a common complication of CF, contributes to increased morbidity and mortality and is a poor prognostic indicator. Whilst liver transplant is a well-established treatment for end stage liver disease (ESLD) in CF, there are few reports of simultaneous pancreatic transplant in the paediatric population. We report the nutritional and endocrine outcomes of two adolescent CF patients who underwent combined liver and pancreas trans...

Background: Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of acquired hypothyroidism worldwide. Incidence of iodine deficiency may be rising due to usage of vegan diet.Case presentation: We present siblings aged 2.5 years boy and 6 years old girl from family who are strict vegans. Both children have been on vegan diet since birth. Boy attended hospital urgently due to significant concerns about hypothyroidism. His TSH level 2 months before admission was 187...