Clinical features and therapeutic outcomes of 65 patients with acromegaly at Tokyo Women's Medical University.
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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to survey the clinical characteristics, complications, and therapeutic outcome in patients with acromegaly. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical features of 65 patients with acromegaly (31 males, 34 females; mean age: 50+/-2 yr.) who were admitted to Tokyo Women's Medical University between 1990 and 1999 were analyzed retrospectively from medical records. RESULTS: The retrospective analysis revealed that the diagnosis of acromegaly was preceded by approximately 8.1+/-1.1 years of signs and symptoms of the disease. Forty-six of the 65 patients (71%) had macroadenomas, 16 (25%) had microadenomas, and the remaining three had empty sella. The rate of biochemical cure or remission was 81% for microadenoma (13/16), 64% for macroadenoma without extrasellar extension (9/14), and 13% for macroadenoma with cavernous sinus extension (2/15). Eighteen (28%) patients had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 32 (49%) had diabetes mellitus (DM). After treatment for acromegaly, glucose metabolism was analyzed again in 38 patients, and it improved in 26 patients with IGT or DM. Twenty-five of 65 patients (38%) had hypertension. Of 26 patients who underwent barium enema or colonoscopy, 10 had colonic polyps and 4 had colon cancer. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that long-term excessive growth hormone (GH) secretion causes many complications. Therefore, awareness of the early symptoms and signs of acromegaly and long-term careful management of complications, along with therapy to reduce serum GH/insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I levels, are important for patients with acromegaly. (+info)
Kinetics of intraoperative fluorescence diagnosis of parathyroid glands.
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OBJECTIVE: Identification of parathyroid glands is often a challenge even for experienced surgeons. The feasibility and efficacy of fluorescence diagnosis for localization of parathyroids has already been proven in an experimental setting. In preparation for a clinical application of this technique in patients undergoing surgery for hyperparathyroidism, we evaluated the kinetics of fluorescence diagnosis. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty rats were randomized into eight groups with different photosensitization parameters using the photosensitizer aminolevulinic acid (ALA): a peritoneal lavage was performed with either 1.5 or 3.0% ALA solution and the induced photosensitization times varied from 0.5, 1 and 2 to 4 h. Under special fluorescence illumination, D-light, the exposed operative site with thyroid, parathyroid glands and neck muscles was examined. The identified parathyroid glands were studied according to fluorescence intensity by spectrometric measurement and compared with surrounding tissue. RESULTS: Photosensitizer accumulation in parathyroid glands, indirectly measured by spectrometry, was up to 3.2 times higher than in thyroid and 2.6 times higher than in muscle tissue (2 h photosensitization with 3.0% ALA). Using 1.5% ALA, the optimum fluorescence intensity and ratio/contrast was slightly lower (parathyroid-to-thyroid ratio x 3.0, parathyroid-to-muscle ratio x 1.9) but was reached earlier (1 h) and hence considered as the parameter of choice for a clinical application. CONCLUSIONS: In future clinical application, intraoperative fluorescence diagnosis is expected to increase the ease of identification of atypically located or supernumeric glands. In combination with preoperative diagnostics, this may result in reduced operation time and avoidance of persistent hypercalcaemia. (+info)
The diagnosis and management of malignant phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma.
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Malignant phaeochromocytomas are rare tumours accounting for ~10% of all phaeochromocytomas; the prevalence of malignancy among paragangliomas is higher, especially those associated with succinate dehydrogenase subunit B gene mutations. Although a subset of these tumours has metastatic disease at initial presentation, a significant number develops metastases during follow-up after excision of an apparently benign tumour. Clinical, biochemical and histological features cannot reliably distinguish malignant from benign tumours. Although a number of recently introduced molecular markers have been explored, their clinical significance remains to be elucidated from further studies. Several imaging modalities have been utilised for the diagnosis and staging of these tumours. Functional imaging using radiolabelled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and more recently, (18)F-fluorodopamine and (18)F-fluorodopa positron emission tomography offer substantial sensitivity and specificity to correctly detect metastatic phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma and helps identify patients suitable for treatment with radiopharmaceuticals. The 5-year mortality rate of patients with malignant phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas greater than 50% indicates that there is considerable room for the improvement of currently available therapies. The main therapeutic target is tumour reduction and control of symptoms of excessive catecholamine secretion. Currently, the best adjunctive therapy to surgery is treatment with radiopharmaceuticals using (131)I-MIBG; however, this is very rarely curative. Chemotherapy has been used for metastatic disease with only a partial and mainly palliative effect. The role of other forms of radionuclide treatment either alone or in combination with chemotherapy is currently evolving. Ongoing microarray studies may provide novel intracellular pathways of importance for proliferation/cell cycle control, and lead to the development of novel pharmacological agents. (+info)
Undescended testes: a consensus on management.
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Post-surgical hypocortisolism after removal of an adrenal incidentaloma: is it predictable by an accurate endocrinological work-up before surgery?
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