Lymphocytic Hypophysitis associated with Pregnancy / 대한내분비학회지

Lymphocytic hypophysitis is a rare inflammatory disease of the pituitary gland that is often recognized as a cause of hypopituitarism and may be due to the autoimmune pituitary destruction that usually occurs in women in the peripartum period. We report a rare case of lymphocytic hypophysitis in a 26 year-old woman presenting with nausea and headaches for 2 months after an artificial abortion of her second pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging, with enhancement, showed an expanding 1.0x1.0 cm sized sellar mass. The patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of pituitary macroadenoma. A histological examination revealed diffuse lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltration which are characteristic of lymphocytic hypophysitis. Here, we present the first reported case of a pregnant woman with lymphocytic hypophysitis with a review of the literature on this increasingly recognized condition.

A case of lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis presenting as central diabetes insipidus and nodular mass on neurohypophysis / 대한내과학회지

Lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis was known as a cause of idiopathic central diabetes insipidus. Until recent time, it is characterized into two groups. One has thickening of the pitutitary stalk, enlargement of the neurohypophysis and loss of hyperintense signal of the normal neurohypophysis, the other has only loss of hyperintense signal but not morphological change. A 51-year-old man presented with a one month history of polydipsia and polyuria. The interpretation of water deprivation test was compatible with complete central diabetes insipidus. Endocrinologic examination of the adenohypophysis hormones and its triple stimulation test were normal apart from thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which showed low response despite thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). Sellar MRI scan disclosed an loss of hyperintense singnal of normal neurohypophysis and about 10 mm-sized nodular mass lesion on neurohypophysis. However, thickness of the pituitary stalk was normal. Pathologic examination demonstrated diffuse infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells. No adenomas, menigitis, sarcoidosis or granulomas were present. We supposed that this case was an atypical type of lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis, which did not belong to any other part of two groups described above.

Routine Measurement of Serum Calcitonin Concentration is Useful in Early Detection of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Among Patients with Nodular Thyroid Disease / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Serum calcitonin is a sensitive and specific marker for diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and its determination leads to accurate preoperative diagnosis and gives chances of definite cure. However, since many non-MTC diseases are also associated with calcitonin elevation, its significance in patients with mild or moderately elevated basal serum calcitonin levels is not clear. Furthermore, the normal value of calcitonin using immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) kit has not so far been definitely ascertained. This study is aimed at assessing the clinical significance of routine measurement of serum basal calcitonin concentration in nodular thyroid disease patients and evaluating the pentagastrin stimulation test in case of mild or moderate elevation of basal calcitonin level. We also measured serum calcitonin value in 408 normal individuals. METHODS: The basal serum calcitonin concentrations using a commercial IRMA kit (Medgenix CT-U.S.-IRMA) were measured in 818 patients with nodular thyroid disease (average age 45 years with a range from 13 to 82 years; 125 males and 693 females) who visited thyroid clinics in Samsung Medical Center between June 1997 and December 1998. Serum concentrations of T3, T4, TSH and thyroid autoantibodies were measured and ultrasonography of thyroid and thyroid scan using 131I or 99mTc-pertechnetate were performed in all patients. We also studied 408 healthy subjects without any thyroid disease (average age 48 years with a range from 20 to 86 years; 224 females). RESULTS: The calcitonin value in normal subjects was found to range from 0 to 13 pg/mL, and it was shown that men had higher calcitonin level than women (p 10pg/mL) in nodular thyroid disease was 1.71% (14/818), and the incidence of MTC was 0.73% (6/818) in this study. MTC was found in all patients with basal serum calcitonin levels more than 100 pg/mL. Pentagastrin stimulation test was also required to diagnose MTC in patients with basal serum calcitonin levels between 30 and 100pg/mL. The calcitonin concentration stimulated by pentagastrin increased more than 400pg/mL or more than 3.8 times of basal concentration. It was possible to diagnose MTC with fine needle aspiration and cytology in only one case out of six patients with MTC. CONCLUSION: Fine needle aspiration and cytology in diagnosing MTC was not sensitive and not devoid of false positive results. We confirmed that serum calcitonin measurement was very useful means for the preoperative diagnosis of unsuspected MTC. Pentagastrin stimulation test may be a reliable means of evaluation in nodular thyroid disease patients with mild or moderate elevation of basal calcitonin level. We recommend routine measurement of serum calcitonin concentration in patients with nodular thyroid disease.

Comparison of Clinical Features and MRI Findings between Adamantinous and Papillary Craniopharyngioma / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Craniopharyngioma is a suprasellar or intrasellar epithelial neoplasm that occurs in both children and adults. It accounts for 1.2 to 3 % of intracranial tumors with an incidence of 0.5 to 2 cases per one million populations each year. Recently, it has been postulated that it may have two pathogenetically separate subtypes, which are adamantinous and papillary craniopharyngioma, and that their clinical features may be different. However, there are some disagreements in this postulation. Therefore, we studied 22 consecutive patients with craniopharyngioma to evaluate the differences in clinical features and MRI findings between two subtypes. METHODS: We studied 22 patients with histologically proven craniopharyngioma after surgery at Samsung Medical center from 1995 to 1999. Thirteen patients were male, and nine patients were female. The average age was 30 years, with a range from 1 to 58 years. We divided 22 patients into two histopathologically separate subtypes; adamantinous and papillary subtypes. We compared the clinical features and MRI findings of two subtypes by reviewing medical records. RESULTS: Out of 22 patients with craniopharyngioma, 19 patients had an adamantinous subtype and 3 patients had a papillary subtype. The adamantinous subtype occurred frequently in the fifth decade and below twenty years, while the papillary subtype occurred predominantly in forth and fifth decades. The adamantinous subtype located in suprasellar or intrasellar portion as well as extrasellar portion, while the papillary subtype was restricted to the suprasellar location. The average tumor size of the adamantinous subtype was 3.7 cm, with a range from 1.4 to 6.0 cm, which was larger than that of the papillary subtype (average size 1.8 cm with a range from 1.5 to 2.3 cm, p< 0.05). The adamantinous subtype was predominantly cystic, while the papillary subtype was predominantly solid (p< 0.05). There were no significant differences in the preoperative clinical features and the postoperative complications between two subtypes. CONCLUSION: The adamantinous subtype had two peaks of occurrence in the fifth decade and below twenty years, while the papillary subtype occurred predominantly in forth and fifth decades. The adamantinous subtype was larger and had cystic portion, while the papillary subtype was smaller and had solid portion. The preoperative clinical features and the postoperative complications between two subtypes seemed not to be different.

Influence of Early Age at Menopause on Bone Mineral Density and Biochemical Bone Marker / 대한내분비학회지

BACKGROUND: Among the various factors affecting bone mass and bone metabolism, aging and menopause play a major role. After the disappearance of the menstrual cycle, estrogen deficiency is the most important factor in bone loss. It is still unclear whether women with early menopause have a rate of bone loss different from women whose menopause has occurred later. Various biochemical bone markers are increased after menopause but it is still unclear whether women with early menopause have biochemical bone markers different from women whose menopause has occurred later. The aim of this study was to establish whether healthy women with early or normal menopause have different bone mass, biochemical bone markers and rates of bone loss. METHODS: Postmenopausal healthy women were divided into two groups according to their age at menopause(AAM): one group with AAM > 43 years, and the other group with AAM 50 years. Bone mass was measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA) in the lumbar, femur neck, femur trochanter, and Wards triangle. Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, and urine levels of calcium, deoxypyridinoline and type I collagen N-telopeptide were measured using a commercial kit. RESULTS: Age and body mass index in the early menopause group were different from those in the normal menopause group. All the bone mass and the biochemical bone markers in the early menopause group were not different from those in the normal menopause group. We selected 15 subjects from the two groups matched by age and BML Bone mass of femur neck in the early menopause group was lower than in the normal menopause group matched by age and BMI. Bone mass in lumbar, femur trochanter, and Wards triangle was lower in the early menopause group than in the normal menopause group, but the difference between the two groups was not significant. After adjusting years since menopause, we didnt find the difference of bone mass between the two groups. All the bone biochemical markers were not different in the two groups matched by age and BMI. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that women with early menopause dont lose bone faster than women with normal menopause.