Acute aortic syndrome: a new look at an old conundrum.

The term acute aortic syndrome (AAS), coined several years ago, is now widely recognised. In the light of new findings in aortic pathology and in an era when modern imaging techniques are widely available and interventional management of AAS is increasing, some morphological and diagnostic aspects of acute aortic pathology have been examined and the syndrome updated. This article provides a new, comprehensive overview of the pathology, diagnosis, evolution and management of patients with AAS. As acute aortic disease is the most common fatal condition in patients with chest pain, prompt recognition and treatment is of paramount importance.

Acute aortic syndrome: a new look at an old conundrum.

The term acute aortic syndrome (AAS), coined several years ago, is now widely recognised. In the light of new findings in aortic pathology and in an era when modern imaging techniques are widely available and interventional management of AAS is increasing, some morphological and diagnostic aspects of acute aortic pathology have been examined and the syndrome updated. This article provides a new, comprehensive overview of the pathology, diagnosis, evolution and management of patients with AAS. As acute aortic disease is the most common fatal condition in patients with chest pain, prompt recognition and treatment is of paramount importance.

The role of non-invasive dynamic tests in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of non-invasive dynamic tests in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (CS). METHODS: We studied laboratory features of 74 patients with endogenous CS, subdivided as follows: 46 (62.1%) with Cushing's disease (CD), 21 (28.3%) with an adrenal tumor, and 7 (9.5%) with ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS). RESULTS: In 100% of cases of CS we found serum cortisol levels greater than 1.8 microg/dl after low-dose dexamethasone suppression tests (LDDST), as well as elevation of midnight serum or salivary cortisol. However, urinary free cortisol was normal in 11.5% of patients. ACTH levels were suppressed in patients with adrenal tumors, normal or high in CD and invariably increased in EAS. After the 8-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST), serum cortisol suppression >50% was observed in 79.5% of cases of CD and in 28.6% of subjects with EAS, whereas cortisol suppression >80% was only found in CD. After stimulation with CRH or desmopressin an ACTH rise > or =35% occurred in 86.5% of individuals with CD and 14.3% of those with EAS, whereas an ACTH rise > or =50 achieved 100% specificity. Moreover, the combination of serum cortisol suppression >50% after HDDST and an ACTH increase > or =35% after the administration of CRH or desmopressin only occurred in CD. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that LDDST had 100% sensitivity for the diagnosis of CS and that HDDST and stimulation tests with CRH or desmopressin may be very useful for confirmation of CS etiology when analyzed together or when more stringent cut-offs are used.

Clinical and laboratory features greatly overlap in patients with macroprolactinemia or monomeric hyperprolactinemia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory features of 64 patients with macroprolactinemia and to compare them to those of individuals with monomeric hyperprolactinemia. METHODS: The study included 64 patients (54 women and 10 men) with macroprolactinemia and 96 patients (70 women and 26 men) with monomeric hyperprolactinemia (32 with prolactinomas). RESULTS: Symptoms related to prolactin (PRL) excess were found in about 44% of individuals from the macroprolactinemia group and in 88.5% of patients with monomeric hyperprolactinemia (P<0.0001). However, the frequency of menstrual disturbances (oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea), galactorrhea and erectile dysfunction did not differ in both groups. In contrast, the association of galactorrhea and menstrual disturbances was significantly more prevalent in women with monomeric hyperprolactinemia. Although mean PRL levels were higher in patients with monomeric hyperprolactinemia (565.9+/-2726.4 vs 113.3+/-94.5 ng/mL, P<0.001), there was a great overlap between both groups. Among macroprolactinemic patients, pituitary magnetic resonance imaging revealed an image suggestive of a microadenoma in 7 (10.9%) and a macroadenoma in 1 (1.6%). Normalization of PRL levels during therapy with dopamine agonists was significantly more frequent in patients with monomeric hyperprolactinemia than in subjects with macroprolactinemia (78.6% vs 32%, P=0.0006). CONCLUSION: Our data show that symptoms related to PRL excess are frequently found in subjects with macroprolactinemia. Moreover, no clinical or laboratory features could reliably differentiate macroprolactinemic patients from those with monomeric hyperprolactinemia. Therefore, the screening for macroprolactin should not be restricted to asymptomatic patients.

Aspectos morfológicos de la disección aórtica / Morphological aspects of aortic dissections

Introducción. La disección aórtica clásica forma parte del síndrome aórtico agudo. En esta revisión se exponen los aspectos anatómicos más relevantes de los pacientes con disección aórtica clásica. Desarrollo. Esta enfermedad se caracteriza desde el punto de vista morfológico por tres hechos importantes: la presencia de una puerta de entrada, una aorta con luz doble y un colgajo intimomedial que separa las dos luces. En muchos pacientes también se puede observar una puerta de reentrada y algunos puntos de comunicación entre las dos luces. Ponemos énfasis en el trayecto habitual que sigue la progresión del hematoma disecante y sus posibilidades evolutivas. Se señalan las marcas diacríticas que distinguen las luces verdadera y falsa y se enumeran la mayoría de las complicaciones que pueden tener lugar en estos pacientes, sobre todo, la rotura de la pared externa de la luz falsa, la regurgitación aórtica que acompaña a algunos pacientes con disección tipo A y la afectación de las ramas aórticas. Conclusión. El conocimiento de los distintos aspectos morfológicos y evolutivos de la disección aórtica ayuda a comprender y valorar mejor los resultados de la utilización de las técnicas no invasivas en estos pacientes, lo cual va a suponer una mejora tanto en el diagnóstico como en el tratamiento

Introduction. Classical aortic dissection is included as a part of acute aortic syndrome. In this review we describe the most significant anatomical aspects of patients with classical aortic dissection. Development. From the morphological point of view this disease is characterised by three important facts, namely, the presence of a port of entry, an aorta with double lumen and an intimal-medial flap that separates the two lumina. A port of re-entry and a number of points communicating the two lumina can also be observed in many patients. We focus on the trajectory usually followed by the progression of dissecting haematomas and the possible ways they can develop. The diacritic marks that distinguish true and false lumina are specified, and most of the complications that can occur in these patients are also listed, the most important being rupture of the external wall of the false lumen, the aortic regurgitation suffered by some patients with type A dissection, and involvement of the aortic branches. Conclusions. A more comprehensive knowledge of the different morphological and developmental aspects of aortic dissections can help to better understand and appraise the results of using non-invasive techniques in these patients, which will lead to improvements in both their diagnosis and their treatment