Endocrine ABIM Flashcards
Hypopituitarism causes (3 most common)
- Pituitary Tumor
- Pituitary surgery
- Cranial irradiation
Hypopituitarism:
Pituitary Apoplexy (bleeding within organ):
cause, symptoms, treatment
- Cause: Pituitary hemorrhage or infarction
- Sx: sudden headache, visual change, opthalmoplegia, AMS
- Tx: Acute admin of glucocorticoids until adrenal insuffiency r/o; May also require neurosurgical decompression
Hypopituitarism:
Postpartum pituitary necrosis (Sheehan syndrome)
~ cause, symptoms
- Cause: silent pituitary infarction usually associated with obstetric hemorrhage and hypotension.
- Sx: Acutely, vascular collapse.
- More commonly, amenorrhea, inability to lactate, fatigue.
Hypopituitarism:
Lymphocytic hypophysitis: what is it?
- It causes hypopituitarism, and possibly sx of mass lesion.
- Most cases occur during or after pregnancy.
Hypopituitarism:
Signs of pituitary mass effect
- Headache
- Loss of peripheral vision
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism
FSH/LH deficiency - symptoms/testing/findings
- FSH/LH: amenorrhea, loss of libido, ED
- Test: depressed FSH, LH, estradiol or testosterone
Hypopituitarism:
Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism:
ACTH deficiency -symptoms/tests/findings
- Sx: fatigue, N/V, Wt loss, Abd pain
- Tests: Low cortisol/depressed ACTH;
- depressed response of 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol to metyrapone
- positive cortisol response to ACTH
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism:
- TSH deficiency - symptoms/tests/findings
- TSH: cold intolerance, weight gain, constipation
- Tests: depressed free T4 and TSH
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism
- GH deficiency - symptoms/tests/findings
- GH: loss of muscle mass
- Tests: depressed IGF-1 (serum marker of GH)
- diminished response to insulin tolerance test ~ insulin induced hypoglycemia
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism:
- DI secondary to ADH deficiency
- Symptoms
- Tests
- ADH/DI: polyuria, polydypsia, nocturia
- Tests: Urine osmo < 200 does not increase with water deprivation test
- Positive desmopressin challenge (urine concentrates)
- If positive, order MRI of pituitary
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism
Visual Changes
- Bitemporal loss of vision
- (mass effect on optic chiasm)
Hypopituitarism: Symptoms of anterior hypopituitarism: prolactin level
Level may be elevated from loss of tonic inhibition ~ hyperprolactinemia
Hypopituitarism Treatment
- Replace hormone deficiency appropriately
- Hydrocortisone for adrenal insufficiency
Hypopituitarism Treatment:
- Central Hypothyroid Tx
- Thyroxine dosing based on serum T4 rather than TSH level
- T4 replacement only after hypoadrenalism r/o or treated
Pituitary Adenoma: micro vs macro
benign tumors; microadenoma < 10mm; macroadenoma > 10mm
Pituitary Adenoma: 2 ways they become symptomatic
- mass effect causing hypopituitarism ~ ant pit hormone deficiencies + headaches/visual field disturbances, CN dysfn.
- endocrine hyperfunction caused by excess secretion by the tumor
Pituitary gland is diffusely enlarged in these 2 situations
Normal Pregnancy & Untreated Primary Hypothyroidism
Pituitary Adenoma: Galactorrhea/Amenorrhea -
- Think this
- Order this…
- Think this: Prolactinoma
- Order this: Serum Prolactin Level
Pituitary Adenoma:
Enlargement of hands, feet, nose, lips, or tongue; increased spacing between teeth
- Think think
- Order this…
- Think this: Acromegaly
- Order this: Serum IGF-1, OGTT (fails to suppress GH)
Pituitary Adenoma:
Proximal muscle weakness, facial rounding, centripetal obesity, purple striae, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension
- Think this
- Order this
- Think this: Cushing Disease
- Order this:
- 24-hour urine cortisol excretion
- dexamethasone (manmade cortisol) suppression test (suppresses)
- late night salivary cortisol level (elevated)
- serum ACTH level (elevated or inappropriately normal)

Pituitary Adenoma: Goiter and Hyperthyroidism
- Think this
- Order this
- Think this: TSH-secreting adenoma (rare)
- Order this: TSH normal or elevated; increased T4
Pituitary Adenoma: General Testing Rules
- Who to test?
- If pituitary source indicated, what do you order?
- If mass effect, what do you order?
- What syndrome do you always eval for?
- Test all patients w/incidentally discovered pituitary adenoma for hormone hypersecretion
- Order MRI if testing indicates hormonal hypersecretion from pituitary source
- If mass effect is presenting sx, obtain MRI first, endocrine testing later (headache/visual)
- Eval pts with at least 1 component of MEN1 and family hx of MEN1 for a pituitary adenoma (usually hyperparathyroidism)
Pituitary Adenoma:
Nonprolactinoma causes of hyperprolactinemia
- Usually level < 150ng/mL
- Psychotropic agents, TCAs, Antiseizure meds, Metoclopramide, Domperidone, CCBs, Methyldopa, Opiates, Protease Inhibitors
- Check TSH level (hypothyroidism can cause it)
Pituitary Adenoma:
Treatment for:
- women with microprolactinoma/normal menses
- patients with nonfunctioning microadenomas (< 10mm)
Observation
