Retrospective comparison of cabergoline and bromocriptine effects in hyperprolactinemia: a single center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with hyperprolactinemia who require medical therapy are typically treated with dopamine agonists (DAs). In most cases, DAs normalize prolactin levels, control symptoms, and substantially decrease tumor size. Here, we aimed to compare the efficacy of cabergoline (CAB) and bromocriptine (BRC) in patients with hyperprolactinemia at a single center. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the clinical records of 498 patients with hyperprolactinemia [mean age 33.3 ± 10.8 years (range 16-66), 450 women, and 48 men] who had received either CAB (n = 450) or BRC (n = 48) was performed. RESULTS: The mean age, gender distribution, and treatment duration were similar between the CAB and BRC groups (33.2 ± 11 vs. 34.1 ± 9.6 years, male/female 44/406 vs. 4/44, 18.7 ± 12.1 vs. 17.8 ± 6.0 months, respectively; p > 0.05 for all). Mean dosage was 1.5 ± 1.6 mg/week for CAB and 3.8 ± 2.7 mg/day for BRC. Baseline prolactin levels, frequency of galactorrhea, amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, erectile dysfunction, infertility, and visual impairment were similar between the two groups, whereas the baseline tumor volume was higher in the CAB group. The prolactin normalization rate (87.4 vs. 41.4 %, p = 0.029) and tumor volume shrinkage (79.8 ± 39.1 vs. 54.1 ± 55.3 %, p = 0.015) were significantly higher in the CAB-treated patients than in the BRC-treated patients, while the tumor cure rates were similar. Symptom relief was higher in the CAB group than in the BRC group. More side effects were recorded in patients who took BRC (29.1 vs. 5.3 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data revealed that CAB was more effective than BRC in controlling symptoms associated with hormone excess, normalizing serum prolactin levels, and shrinking prolactinomas.

Comparison of alendronate and raloxifene for the management of primary hyperparathyroidism.

AIM: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of alendronate sodium (ALN) and raloxifene (RLX) for the management of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in postmenopausal female patients (pts) with osteoporosis. METHODS: Twenty-four postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were diagnosed with PHPT, but refused the option of surgery, were enrolled. Participants were sequentially randomized into two groups: an ALN-group of 12 pts (70 mg/week) and a RLX-group of 12 pts (60 mg/day). The control group consisted of 10 pts with PHPT who did not have any indications for surgery. RESULTS: The decrease in ionized calcium levels was significantly more pronounced in the ALN group compared to the RLX and control groups (p<0.001). In terms of difference from baseline in bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar area in percentages over a period of 12 months, pts in the ALN and RLX groups both showed statistically significant improvements compared to pts in the control group (control vs ALN, p<0.001; control vs RLX, p<0.001). BMD measurements of the femoral and radial areas were comparable in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS: ALN and RLX may improve bone density in the lumbar area of osteoporotic post-menopausal women with PHPT. The more significant decrease in serum calcium levels which was observed in the ALN group compared to both RLX and control groups, suggests that ALN could be used for the short-term control of calcium levels in patients awaiting surgery.

A comparative study of pre-operative imaging methods in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: ultrasonography, 99mTc sestamibi, single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

AIM: This study compares the accuracy rates achieved in ultrasonography (US), 99mTc-sestamibi (MIBI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as imaging methods used in the pre-operative localization of the enlarged parathyroid glands. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: For the purposes of this study, US, MIBI, SPECT, and MRI were performed on 98 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). All patients underwent parathyroidectomy. RESULTS: Pre-operative localization of an abnormal parathyroid gland was successfully performed in 82 of the cases scanned with US (83.7%), while the result was 66 in the cases scanned with MIBI (67.3%), 71 of the cases were successfully localized with SPECT (72.4%), while MRI revealed the diseased gland in only 60 of the total cases (61.2%). In MIBI-positive and -negative patients there was a statistically significant difference among cases in terms of adenoma volume (1.30±1.51 vs 0.58±0.91, p<0.05). Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy values were 87.2%, 25.0%, and 83.0%; 70.2%, 50.0%, and 69.4%; 75.5%, 50.0%, and 74.5%; 63.8%, 50.0%, and 63.3% for US, MIBI, SPECT, and MRI, respectively. The respective values for sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 94.9%, 25.0%, and 91.1% when US was combined with MIBI. CONCLUSIONS: Combining US and MIBI as imaging methods for pre-operative imaging of pHPT often produces more satisfactory results. While the accuracy of US is relatively low in the ectopic localizations, the size of the lesion can be an important factor in the accuracy achieved with MIBI.