Serum cortisol response to transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing disease

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Simmons ◽  
Tord D. Alden ◽  
Michael O. Thorner ◽  
Edward R. Laws
Keyword(s):  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Rapid Determination ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Optimal Time ◽  
Cushing Disease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Surgically Induced ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Transsphenoidal surgery remains the optimal treatment for Cushing disease, but the definitions of surgical cure and failure remain debatable. In this study the authors evaluated serum cortisol levels in patients before and after they underwent transsphenoidal surgery to elucidate the patterns of cortisol decrease and the optimal time and criteria for determining surgically induced remission. Methods. Twenty-seven patients were evaluated throughout an 8-month period. Serum cortisol levels were obtained before surgery and at 6-hour intervals postoperatively. No exogenous steroid medications were administered until after cortisol sampling was discontinued, following diagnosis of remission. Twenty-one (78%) of 27 cases were labeled initial surgically induced remissions. Twenty-two (81%) of 27 cases were deemed surgically induced remissions at follow-up examination. Following surgery, initial remissions and failures demonstrated divergent patterns of cortisol levels. No patient whose condition was deemed an initial surgically induced remission has experienced definitive relapse of disease since discharge. One patient whose condition was initially deemed a surgical failure, eventually was found to exhibit surgically induced remission without further intervention. Conclusions. Given such findings, exogenous steroid medications do not appear to be required for patients until after the determination of remission. During the 1st postoperative day, there is a time period during which serum cortisol values significantly differ between the categories of surgically induced remissions and surgical failures. Surgically induced remissions were identified when postoperative values of cortisol were lower than preoperative midnight levels and when absolute values of cortisol were less than 10 µg/dl. In a small proportion of patients remission on a delayed basis may also be demonstrated. These data allow for a simple and rapid determination of postoperative remission in patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing disease.

Transsphenoidal surgery in Cushing disease: 10 years of experience in 34 consecutive cases

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Höybye ◽  
Eva GrenbäcK ◽  
Marja Thorén ◽  
Anna-Lena Hulting ◽  
Lars Lundblad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Cushing Syndrome ◽  
Preoperative Evaluation ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Pituitary Hormone ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Cushing Disease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Cushing disease is a rare disorder. Because of their small size the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)—producing tumors are often not detectable on neuroimaging studies. To obtain a cure with transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) may therefore be difficult. In this report the authors present 10 years of experience in the treatment of patients with Cushing disease who were followed up with the same protocol and treated by the same surgeon. Methods. Thirty-four patients, 26 of them female and eight of them male (mean age 40 years, range 13–74 years) were studied. All had obvious clinical signs and symptoms of Cushing syndrome. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in all patients, and inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) sampling was done in 14. In 12 patients MR imaging indicated a pituitary tumor; 10 were microadenomas and two were macroadenomas. In six patients with no visible tumor, the results of IPS sampling supported the diagnosis. All patients underwent TSS; the mean follow-up duration was 6 ± 0.5 years. Selective adenomectomy was performed in 32 and hemihypophysectomy in the other two patients. A cure was obtained in 31 patients (91%) after one TSS and in two more patients after further TSS; one patient was not cured despite two TSSs and one underwent bilateral adrenalectomy. Disease recurrence was seen in two patients after 3 years, and they were successfully treated with stereotactic gamma knife surgery. Half of the patients had an ACTH deficiency postoperatively, whereas one third had other pituitary hormone insufficiencies. There were no serious complications attributable to the surgical intervention. Conclusions. Transsphenoidal surgery with selective adenomectomy is an effective and safe treatment for Cushing disease. In the patients presented in this study, the surgical outcome seemed to depend on careful preoperative evaluation and the surgeon's experience. For optimal results in this rare disease the authors therefore suggest that the endocrinological, radiological, and surgical procedures be coordinated in a specialized center.

Cushing disease: use of perioperative serum cortisol measurements in early determination of success following pituitary surgery

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand Krikorian ◽  
Dima Abdelmannan ◽  
Warren R Selman ◽  
Baha M Arafah
Keyword(s):  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Pituitary Surgery ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Serum Cortisol Level ◽  
Current Recommendation ◽  
Cushing Disease ◽  
Acth Deficiency ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Acth Secreting

✓Despite many recent advances, management of cases of Cushing disease continues to be challenging. After complete resection of ACTH-secreting adenomas, patients develop transient ACTH deficiency requiring glucocorticoid replacement for several months. The current recommendation by many centers, including ours, for patients with ACTH-secreting adenomas is to withhold glucocorticoid therapy during and immediately after adenomectomy until there is clinical or biochemical evidence of ACTH deficiency. A serum cortisol level of less than 2 μg/dl within the first 48 hours after adenomectomy is a reliable biochemical marker of ACTH deficiency and is associated with clinical remission of Cushing disease. Higher serum cortisol levels in the immediate postoperative period should be interpreted with caution. The decision to immediately reexplore the sella turcica should be individualized, taking into account the findings at surgery, the histopathological findings, and the changes in serum cortisol levels as well as the patient's wishes and concerns. Optimal diagnosis and therapy for patients with Cushing disease require thorough and close coordination and involvement of all members of the management team.

Ectopic intracavernous sinus adrenocorticotropic hormone—secreting microadenoma: could this be a common cause of failed transsphenoidal surgery in Cushing disease?

2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 1312-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Kim ◽  
Jeffrey D. Klopfenstein ◽  
Ming Cheng ◽  
Murugasu Nagul ◽  
Stephen Coons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Cardiac Events ◽  
Cushing Disease ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Findings ◽  
Acth Secreting ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Despite diagnostic advances, it remains difficult to identify intrasellar and ectopic parasellar adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)—secreting microadenomas. The authors present the case of a 61-year-old woman with Cushing disease in whom a significant central-to-peripheral and lateralized right-sided ACTH gradient was demonstrated on inferior petrosal sinus sampling; no discernible abnormality was seen on magnetic resonance imaging. She underwent transnasal transsphenoidal surgery. No tumor was found on sellar exploration and a total hypophysectomy was performed, yet her hypercortisolemia persisted. The patient died of cardiac events 17 days postsurgery. Autopsy revealed an isolated, right-sided, intracavernous ACTH-secreting adenoma with no intrasellar communication. This case represents the first failed transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing disease in which there is postmortem confirmation of a suspected intracavernous sinus lesion. It supports the hypothesis that Cushing disease associated with nondiagnostic imaging studies, a strong ACTH gradient on venography, and negative findings on sellar exploration may be caused by an ectopic intracavernous ACTH-secreting adenoma. There are no premortem means of confirming the presence of such lesions, but these tumors could underlie similar cases of failed surgery. Radiation therapy targeting the sella turcica and both cavernous sinuses, possibly supplemented with medical treatment, is suggested for similar patients in whom transsphenoidal hypophysectomy has failed. Adrenalectomy may also be appropriate if a rapid reduction in ACTH is necessary.

Transsphenoidal microsurgical treatment of Cushing disease: postoperative assessment of surgical efficacy by application of an overnight low-dose dexamethasone suppression test

2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 967-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph C. T. Chen ◽  
Arun P. Amar ◽  
SooHo Choi ◽  
Peter Singer ◽  
William T. Couldwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Dexamethasone Suppression Test ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transsphenoidal Adenomectomy ◽  
Suppression Test ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Dexamethasone Suppression ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Transsphenoidal adenomectomy with resection of a defined pituitary adenoma has been the treatment of choice for CD for the last 30 years. Surgical resection, however, may not always result in long-term remission of CD. This is particularly important in light of the high risk of morbidity and mortality in patients in the unsuccessfully treated cushingoid state. As such, it is interesting to identify prognostic factors that may predict the likelihood of long-term remission. Methods. The authors review their series of 174 patients who have undergone transsphenoidal procedures for CD over a period of 20 years with minimum follow-up periods of 5 years. Selection of these patients was based on clinical, imaging, and laboratory criteria that included serum cortisol levels, loss of diurnal variation in serum cortisol levels, urinary free cortisol concentration, and results of a dexamethasone suppression test, petrosal sinus sampling, and corticotroph-releasing hormone stimulation tests as indicated. All patients who met the biochemical criteria underwent transsphenoidal microsurgery. The authors found an overall rate of remission of 74% at 5 years postoperatively. Patients in whom morning serum cortisol concentrations were lower than 3 µg/dl (83 nmol/L) on postoperative Day 3, following an overnight dexamethasone suppression test, had a 93% chance of remission at the 5-year follow-up examination. Patients with cortisol concentrations higher than this level uniformly failed to achieve long-term remission. Conclusions. Transsphenoidal microsurgery is an effective means of control for patients with adrenocorticotrophic hormone—producing microadenomas. Clinical outcome correlated well with the size of the tumor, as measured on preoperative imaging studies, and with postoperative morning cortisol levels following an overnight dexamethasone suppression test. Postoperative cortisol levels can be used as a useful prognostic indicator of the likelihood of future recurrence following transsphenoidal adenomectomy in CD.

Transsphenoidal decompression of the optic nerve and chiasm

1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 717-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward R. Laws ◽  
James C. Trautmann ◽  
Robert W. Hollenhorst
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenoma ◽  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Visual Loss ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Visual Status ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A review of recent experience with transsphenoidal surgery for lesions in and about the sella turcica establishes the value of this approach for the management of patients with visual loss. The lesions encountered consisted of pituitary adenoma in 45 cases, craniopharyngioma in 10 cases, and miscellaneous tumors involving the sella in the remaining seven cases. Sixty of the 62 patients in this series had quantitative determination of preoperative and postoperative visual status; after surgery, vision was improved in 81%, unchanged in 11%, and worse in 5%. Two patients (3%) died during the immediate postoperative period before their visual status could be evaluated.

Repeated transsphenoidal surgery to treat recurrent or residual pituitary adenoma

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 1004-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Benveniste ◽  
Wesley A. King ◽  
Jane Walsh ◽  
Jacob S. Lee ◽  
Bradley N. Delman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenoma ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Initial Symptom ◽  
Pituitary Mass ◽  
Cushing Disease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tumor Mass ◽  
Major Complications ◽  
Symptom Remission ◽  
Fine Print

Object. In this paper the authors describe the indications for and the results and complications of repeated transsphenoidal surgery (RTSS) to treat recurrent or residual pituitary adenoma. Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of 96 consecutive patients who underwent RTSS to treat recurrent or residual pituitary adenoma. Ninety-six patients underwent RTSS: 42 to treat a recurrent or residual pituitary mass and 54 to treat a recurrent or persistent hormone hypersecretion. There was no case of perioperative death and there was a 1% incidence of major complications. Postoperative endocrinological deficiencies were uncommon unless planned total hypophysectomy was performed to treat Cushing disease. Clinical remission occurred in 93% of patients undergoing RTSS to treat a tumor mass, and 15% of patients initially experienced remission only to face a relapse after a mean of 32 months. Endocrinological remission occurred in 57% of patients undergoing RTSS to treat hormone hypersecretion; most of these patients had Cushing disease. Thirty-five percent of patients with an initial endocrinological remission experienced a relapse of their symptoms after a mean of 31 months (thus, 37% of patients achieved sustained endocrinological remission). We failed to identify factors that accurately predicted initial symptom remission or delayed relapse following RTSS. Ten patients in our series eventually underwent a third transsphenoidal surgery without major complications. Conclusions. Repeated transsphenoidal surgery is a more effective treatment for recurrent or residual mass than it is for hormone hypersecretion and has acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality. If hypophysectomy is not performed, endocrinological deficiencies are unlikely following RTSS.

Salivary Cortisol Determination: Adaptation of a Commercial Serum Cortisol Kit

1982 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
A A K Al-Ansari ◽  
L A Perry ◽  
D S Smith ◽  
J Landon
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Rapid Determination ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Gamma Counter ◽  
Commercial Kit ◽  
Serum And Urine

The determination of Cortisol levels in saliva offers a number of significant advantages as compared with plasma or serum measurements, and radioimmunoassay is the technique of choice because of the greater sensitivity required. To date, the assay of salivary Cortisol has been limited to only a few centres employing ‘in-house’ reagents. We describe some simple modifications of a commercial kit, designed for the assay of Cortisol in serum and urine, which allow direct and rapid determination of the steroid in saliva. These modifications enable any laboratory with access to a gamma counter to perform large numbers of salivary Cortisol assays at relatively low cost.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Serum Cortisol Levels after Transsphenoidal Surgery in a Cohort of Patients with Cushing’s Disease

2004 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 1131-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. F. S. Rollin ◽  
N. P. Ferreira ◽  
M. Junges ◽  
J. L. Gross ◽  
M. A. Czepielewski
Keyword(s):  
Cushing’S Disease ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Cushing's Disease ◽  
Cortisol Levels

scholarly journals Perioperative serum cortisol levels in ACTH sufficient and ACTH deficient patients during transsphenoidal surgery of pituitary adenoma

Endocrine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Borg ◽  
Peter Siesjö ◽  
Babar Kahlon ◽  
Sigridur Fjalldal ◽  
Eva Marie Erfurth
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenoma ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Families, brain death, and traditional medical excellence

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1192-1194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Lynn Pinkus
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Transplant Center ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Staff neurosurgeons and residents at a tertiary care hospital designated as a transplant center were surveyed regarding personal opinions concerning brain death and family conferences. Compared to an extensive survey done in 1976, the responses indicated that, while a professional consensus regarding the definition and meaning of brain death has emerged in the past 10 years, a range of personal beliefs and opinions regarding the concept still exists. In spite of the professional consensus, it is still difficult for the physician to communicate gently, yet firmly, to families both the scientific groundwork that validates the determination of brain death, the concept, and the finality of the information.

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