Endocrine Abstracts

2–3% of the UK population are prescribed glucocorticoid (GC) therapy and their adverse effects contribute to a significant health burden. Suppression of endogenous GC secretion is a recognized complication of therapy, but the magnitude of the problem, together with its clinical consequences have not been determined. We conducted a retrospective study across all specialties in a large secondary–tertiary care center identifying 2782 patients who underwent 3666 250 &#95...

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...

Background: Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) is a critical mediator of insulin action, and influences cellular growth, survival and metabolism. Recently, somatic gain-of-function mutations in the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K (PIK3CA) have been found in a spectrum of overgrowth disorders, outlining the possibility of treatment with inhibitors of the PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathway.Methods/Results: A 37-year-old female, presented with life-long...

Background: Metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes are risk factors for the development of dementia. In addition to vascular dysfunction, insulin resistance may be important since altered insulin sensitivity is associated with changes in neurogenesis. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterised by insulin resistance. Little is known about the impact of metabolic abnormalities on brain structure and function in younger adults.Objecti...

Background: Metyrapone is widely used in the UK for the control of cortisol excess in Cushing’s syndrome, but its use is not standardised. There are a few reports published on metyrapone use, mostly containing small patient numbers.Method: A retrospective survey was conducted across 13 tertiary centres. Using a standardised proforma, extensive data including monitoring and safety information were collected for patients with Cushing’s syndrome o...

Although MRI remains the investigation of choice for pituitary imaging, it does not provide information about ‘functionality’ of lesions (e.g. residual adenoma vs post-surgical scar tissue) and cannot reliably identify all microadenomas.We hypothesised that i) imaging with the PET ligand 11C-methionine, which is taken up at sites of peptide/protein synthesis, would permit more reliable identification of functioning pituitary adenoma ...