1/54. Inefficiency of the anticoagulant therapy in the regression of the radiation-induced optic neuropathy in Cushing's disease.radiation-induced optic neuropathy is a rare complication (prevalence less than 1%) following radiotherapy of the sellar region. However, the vasculopathy in Cushing's disease predisposes to radiation-induced injury. We report the case of a 24-year-old man with Cushing's disease since he was 16. The hormonal study including bilateral inferior petrosal sinus catheterization diagnosed a pituitary right lesion, but imagiology was always negative. He underwent a transsphenoidal microadenomectomy and the pathological study showed the presence of corticotrophic hyperplasia but no adenoma. Secondary hypothyroidism and hypogonadism as well as permanent diabetes insipidus were diagnosed and because the patient was not cured he underwent a second transsphenoidal total hypophysectomy. After that and because he was still hypercortisolemic, pituitary external irradiation was given in a total dose of 6000 rad. Six months later he developed progressive bilateral visual loss. Cerebral MR revealed focal enhancement of the enlarged optic nerves and chiasm, associated with demyelination areas of the posterior visual pathways. Treatment was tried first with high doses of corticosteroids and later with anticoagulants-heparin EV. 1000 U/h during 7 days followed by warfarin, but unsuccessfully, probably because the patient was already amaurotic at the beginning of the last treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/54. A case of acromegaly accompanied by adrenal preclinical Cushing's syndrome.We encountered a 58-year-old woman with acromegaly accompanied by a cortisol-secreting adrenal tumor without clinical features of hypercortisolism. The simultaneous occurrence of these two endocrinopathies in one individual is extremely rare. She was diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus 8 years ago. Afterwards, in spite of insulin therapy, her hyperglycemia could not be well controlled. Her acromegaly and preclinical Cushing's syndrome were histopathologically proven to be due to a pituitary adenoma and an adrenocortical adenoma, respectively. Successful treatment for these endocrinopathies resulted in greatly improved blood sugar control because of a reduction in insulin resistance. In this case of preclinical Cushing's syndrome, replacement therapy with glucocorticoid was able to be discontinued at only 8 weeks after adrenalectomy, so that the period of necessary replacement was much shorter than that for overt Cushing's syndrome. This is the first report describing insulin resistance before and after treatment in a case of acromegaly accompanied by adrenal preclinical Cushing's syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/54. pheochromocytoma and sub-clinical Cushing's syndrome during pregnancy: diagnosis, medical pre-treatment and cure by laparoscopic unilateral adrenalectomy.The coexistence of pheochromocytoma and primary adrenal Cushing's syndrome of the same adrenal gland has rarely been reported. We describe here the case of a female patient presenting with mild Cushing's stigmata, hypertension and diabetes mellitus in whom we diagnosed a pheochromocytoma of the left adrenal gland with coexisting non-ACTH-dependent cortisol hypersecretion. While hormonal work-up was still in progress, the patient became pregnant and wanted to carry her pregnancy to full-term. A laparoscopic adrenalectomy in the 17th week of gestation was decided upon and the patient accordingly prepared for surgery by pre-treatment with phenoxybenzamine. Successful surgery--the first ever reported laparoscopic resection of a pheochromocytoma in pregnancy--without perioperative complications was performed under general anesthesia, with the patient receiving peri- and post-operative hydrocortisone substitution. Pathohistological examination revealed a pheochromocytoma with positive immunostaining for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and negative immunostaining for ACTH, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and cytochrome P450, and with no signs of malignancy. A paracrine stimulation of the ipsilateral adrenal cortex by IL-6 produced by the pheochromocytoma, leading to cortical hyperplasia and subclinical Cushing's syndrome, is suggested by the positive immunostaining for IL-6 and the MRI findings. Post-operatively, secondary adrenal insufficiency ensued, necessitating continuing hydrocortisone replacement over 12 months. hypertension resolved after surgery, and diabetes after the uncomplicated vaginal delivery at term.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/54. Pituitary adenoma showing intermittent secretion of high molecular weight adrenocorticotropin without evidence of Cushing's disease.A 29-year-old woman was admitted in March 1998 due to high plasma ACTH levels, amenorrhea and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) which had persisted since 1991. plasma ACTH levels showed a wide range of changes: they were usually high (59-240 pg/ml), intermittently very high (336-942 pg/ml), and sometimes normal or low. plasma cortisol levels were usually normal but were sometimes high when the ACTH levels were very high. However, even when the plasma ACTH levels were very high, she did not show any cushingoid features. DM was diagnosed as non-insulin-dependent DM. plasma ACTH showed an excessive response to CRH, while cortisol showed a delayed response. plasma cortisol showed a poor response to ACTH-(1-24). ACTH receptor gene analysis revealed no mutations in the ACTH receptor-coding region. MRI showed a nonenhancing mass on the left side of the pituitary. cavernous sinus sampling showed a very high plasma ACTH level in the left cavernous sinus compared with the levels in the right cavernous sinus and peripheral blood. Sephadex G-75 gel filtration of plasma ACTH immunoreactivity in plasma obtained by cavernous sinus sampling showed mainly high molecular forms of ACTH, probably proopiomelanocortin and ACTH-beta-lipotropin. This case is a very rare form of pituitary adenoma showing intermittent secretion of high molecular ACTH unaccompanied by cushingoid features.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/54. Subclinical cushing syndrome due to adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia: changes in plasma cortisol levels during long-term follow-up.A 63-year-old man with bilateral adrenal tumors was treated for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Endocrinologic examination during follow-up revealed the production of cortisol to be independent of the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Therefore, he was diagnosed as having subclinical cushing syndrome, and these tumors were removed. Adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) was endocrinologically and histopathologically diagnosed. This is the first report demonstrating that endocrinologic changes of AIMAH can be observed during long-term follow-up.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/54. Exaggerated hemodynamic responses to nasal injection and awakening from anesthesia in a Cushingoid patient having transsphenoidal hypophysectomy.A 51-year-old female patient, with an adrenocorticotrophic hormone-secreting pituitary tumor, was scheduled for transphenoidal hypophysectomy. She had a history of recent onset diabetes mellitus and a 2-year history of arterial hypertension. Despite ongoing medical therapy, preoperative blood pressure was 150-160/90-120 mm Hg. During general anesthesia, in response to perinasal infiltration with 10 ml of a solution containing lidocaine 200 mg and epinephrine 100 microg, blood pressure increased from 144/80 mm Hg to 317/175 over 3 minutes, as assessed by direct blood pressure monitoring. At the completion of the anesthetic, as the patient awakened and coughed and moved, blood pressure again increased dramatically, this time from 154/87 mm Hg to 285/170 over 3 minutes. Five months postoperatively, the patient's serum cortisol concentrations had normalized and her cuff blood pressure was 126/82, despite a reduction in her antihypertensive medications. The dramatic intraoperative blood pressure changes in this patient were attributed to the effects of hypercortisolemia on the normal physiologic responses to epinephrine and patient movement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/54. Three patients with adrenal tumors having been treated simply for diabetes mellitus.Three patients with functional adrenal tumors, Cushing's syndrome, primary aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma, who underwent adrenalectomy and were subsequently cured, were studied. All these patients had been treated for diabetes for several years before the diagnosis of adrenal tumors. In each case the state of diabetes before and after surgery, including parameters of insulin secretion and insulin resistance, was compared to demonstrate how the adrenal disorder influenced the nature of diabetes. In the case of Cushing's syndrome the hypercortisolemia caused insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues. In the case of primary aldosteronism, excessive production of aldosterone diminished insulin secretion possibly through hypokalemia. pheochromocytoma affected both insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity through hypersecretion of catecholamines. In all these patients the adrenal tumors were found in clinical contexts other than management of diabetes itself. By careful retrospective review of these three patients' history, several important points that might have drawn the physician's attention to the underlying adrenal disorders were pointed out. These included past history of acute myocardial infarction with onset at unexpectedly young age in the case of Cushing's syndrome and unexpectedly high insulin resistance for the patient's body mass index in the case of pheochromocytoma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 30.255979196115keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/54. Central diabetes insipidus due to herpes simplex in a patient immunosuppressed by Cushing's syndrome.OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient immunocompromised by Cushing's syndrome in whom central diabetes insipidus developed as a complication of herpes simplex involvement of the hypothalamus. methods: We present a case, including results of laboratory and histopathologic studies, in which herpes simplex was established as the causative agent for central diabetes insipidus. RESULTS: A woman with ectopic corticotropin-dependent Cushing's syndrome, diabetes mellitus, carcinoid tumor, and a history of thyroid cancer had the precipitous onset of seizure and fever, and hypotonic polyuria and progressive hypernatremia developed. Central diabetes insipidus was diagnosed and successfully treated with desmopressin. Nevertheless, the patient's condition deteriorated and she died. autopsy revealed herpes simplex encephalitis involving the magnicellular neurons of the hypothalamus. CONCLUSION: Central diabetes insipidus caused by viral infections has been reported in immunosuppressed patients, such as those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a herpes infection causing diabetes insipidus in a patient immunosuppressed by Cushing's syndrome. This case demonstrates that, in patients with Cushing's syndrome, diabetes insipidus may develop as a result of herpes simplex infection of the hypothalamus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 16.563994799029keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/54. Use of a parenteral propylene glycol-containing etomidate preparation for the long-term management of ectopic Cushing's syndrome.Chronic severe hypercortisolism is associated with life-threatening infections, diabetes and a high surgical mortality rate. Oral medical therapy can inhibit steroidogenesis and reduce the risk of these complications. However, apart from a few reports using an ethyl alcohol formulation of the iv anesthetic etomidate, there is no well-tested parenteral steroidogenesis inhibitor. We used the propylene glycol preparation of etomidate available in the united states to control hypercortisolism in a 39-yr-old man with ectopic ACTH secretion who was unable to take oral medications. etomidate was administered over a period of 5.5 months. We titrated the dose of etomidate daily using serum cortisol levels, to avoid steroid over replacement and allow for a response to ongoing stress. A reduced dose during a period of acute renal failure achieved adequate control of hypercortisolemia. Suppression of steroidogenesis persisted for at least 14 d and perhaps as long as 6 wk after cessation of the medication. Except for transient myoclonus, the patient tolerated this preparation well. Parenteral propylene glycol containing etomidate can be used safely for a prolonged period to reduce hypercortisolemia in patients unable to take oral medications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/54. Serendipitous detection of Cushing's disease by FDG positron emission tomography and a review of the literature.A 70-year-old woman was referred for F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging of the brain to evaluate progressive dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Although she had a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, she did not exhibit phenotypic features of Cushing's disease. The FDG-PET images revealed marked FDG uptake in the pituitary gland but no evidence of degenerative dementia. Two macroadenomas were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Endocrinologic evaluation revealed Cushing's disease. After surgical resection of the tumors, the patient's symptoms decreased markedly.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.5639947990286keywords = diabetes mellitus, mellitus, diabetes (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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