Active clinical trials for "Pituitary Diseases"

The fundamental reason for comparing the ability of the Frontal Sedline TM Electroencephalogram (PSA EEG) to standard Global 12 Lead Electroencephalogram (EEG) for burst suppression detection is to determine if a less expensive, less invasive and possibly more convenient bifrontal EEG monitor can be effective for evaluation of anesthesia-induced intraoperative burst suppression therapy (IBST) for cerebral protection.

Predicting the outcome of pituitary surgery, particularly the risk of complications, is a critical determinant in selecting the appropriate treatment modality for patients. To date, only a limited number of risk factors have been identified for complications following pituitary surgery, including tumor size, younger age, and previous surgical intervention. Furthermore, existing studies have demonstrated that prolactin levels can serve as a surrogate marker for assessing pituitary function, specifically revealing associations between elevated prolactin levels and anterior pituitary insufficiencies. In a retrospective study on the "HYP'OP" cohort, the aim of the study is to identify predictive factors for both surgical outcomes and complications.

Access the optimal cut point value of copeptin which predicts development of central diabetes insipidus postoperatively with highest accuracy. Access the optimal cut point value of copeptin which predicts the lack of central diabetes insipidus postoperatively with highest accuracy Access the relative change in copeptin values between baseline and post-surgery as a predictor for diabetes insipidus development.

The degree of suppression and subsequent activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis during the hormone-free interval in combined oral contraceptive (COC) hormone users varies depending on the dose of ethinyl estradiol in the formulation. This variation in activation may be associated with different side effects during the hormone free interval. Progesterone (P) remained suppressed during all 6 COC regimens (<1.8 ng/mL), which indicates continuous contraceptive efficacy during the 7-day hormone free interval of all formulations studied.

Glucose fluctuations present not only in patients with diabetes mellitus but also in subjects with normal glucose tolerance or impaired glucose regulation. People with Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma and Cushing Syndrome are at risk of impaired glucose metabolism. Glycemic variability is poorly studied in the nondiabetic individuals. The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of glucose fluctuations in the newly diagnosed Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma and Cushing Syndrome individuals.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) may cause damage to the hypotalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) thus disturbing the hormonal response of these structures. The aim of our study is to characterize the function of HPA-axis acutely and over time up to three months in patients with SAH.

Background: Pituitary adenomas affect 10% of the population. Surgery offers the most cost-effective treatment modality but cure rates are only 40-70%, in part due to the limitations of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in visualising small tumours (up to 40% are undetected) and discriminating adenomatous tissue from healthy pituitary or post-surgical change. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may improve localisation but current tracers have short half-lives and are unsuitable for routine use. The dopaminergic system regulates pituitary growth and function, as evidenced by the use of dopamine D2 receptor agonists as medical therapy. Dopaminergic PET tracers, including 18F-FDOPA (6-[18F]-L-fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) and 18F (fluorine 18)-Fallypride (which binds to D2/D3 receptors), might thus improve management by enhancing tumour discrimination and quantifying D2 receptor expression. Aim: To establish whether imaging changes in dopaminergic transmission and receptor function has the potential to improve localisation of pituitary adenomas. Methods: Subjects with pituitary adenomas will undergo 18F-FDOPA and 18F-Fallypride PET scans in addition to standard pituitary MRI. Quantification of binding potential combined with MRI co-registration to provide enhanced anatomical definition will be applied. In vivo D2 receptor binding will be correlated with ex vivo D2 receptor mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) and protein expression from tumour samples removed at surgery.

Predictive analytics for GTR, EOR and RV are useful in surgical decision-making, particularly whenever there is no unequivocal indication for surgery. Several factors have been shown to have a role in predicting GTR. Among these, the Knosp classification has proven over the years to be a good predictor of GTR. The score is based on the lateral extension of the adenoma in relation the the intracranial bedding of the internal carotid artery. However, recent literature has demonstrated that the Knosp classification suffers from relatively poor interrater agreement. Moreover the classification was conceived in an era when endoscopic techniques were not available: nowadays endoscopic technique allows visualization and possibly also reaching portions of adenoma which at the time when the Knosp classification was introduced were simply not possible. Lastly, the efficacy of the Knosp's score in predicting also EOR and RV has never been tested. Recently a new score - the Zurich Pituitary Score (ZPS) has been proposed at the University Hospital of Zürich (USZ). The score has proved in the examined series to be more powerful than the Knosp classification in predicting GTR, EOR and RV. A good interrater agreement was also demonstrated. The score however, has been validated only in a monocentric setting with a limited number of patients. The aim of this study is to assess the (1) predictive ability of the ZPS for GTR, EOR, and RV, and (2) the inter-rater agreement of the ZPS in an external validation study.

Recent studies estimate that the prevalence of pituitary adenomas is approximately 1/1500 persons. Pituitary tumours are usually considered as benign. However, local invasion is reported in 35-40% of pituitary adenomas; resistance to medical treatment or recurrence leading to multimodal therapy is reported in about 15% of cases. These tumours are considered as aggressive pituitary tumours and present a distinct biological and clinical entity with continued growth despite multimodal therapy, including surgery and radiotherapy (McCormack et al., 2011). Whilst these tumours have malignant potential, the term of pituitary carcinoma is strictly reserved for those rare tumours (0.2%) with demonstrated craniospinal or systemic metastases (Heaney, 2011). Pituitary aggressive and malignant tumours are very difficult to control and ultimately prove to be lethal. It was suggested that early aggressive treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy) may control progression and occurrence of metastases. However, these therapeutic options are associated with important side effects limiting their use and the prediction of pituitary tumor behaviour remains a challenge. At the diagnosis, clinical signs are not specific and the results concerning proliferative factors (Ki-67 and P53), putative oncogenes (PTTG) conflict from one series to another. In a case-control retrospective study of a cohort of 410 patients (HYPOPRONOS), we validated a prognostic pathological classification based on histological and radiological data (J. Trouillas 2012 in preparation). Tumours were classified into 3 grades: grade 1= non-invasive tumour, grade 2= invasive tumour and grade 3 = aggressive-invasive tumor with the combination of radiological signs of invasion and 2 of 3 signs of increased proliferation (Ki-67 index>3%, number of mitoses>2 per 10 fields at 400X, P53 nuclear detection). It is now widely accepted that cancer is a clonal disease, which arises from a single normal cell and progresses thanks to the accumulation of DNA alterations (Sanson et al., 2011). To identify the role of these DNA alterations, we conducted array CGH analysis limited to 13 prolactin pituitary tumours, from frozen fragments, and identified allelic loss of chromosome 11 associated with aggressiveness and malignancy (Wierinckx et al., 2011). To confirm these encouraging results we propose to conduct a study on a large series of tumours, fixed and embed, and to be correlated the results to clinical data.

Water imbalance and consecutive electrolyte disturbances are common in the postoperative course of neurosurgical patients after pituitary surgery. Diabetes insipidus (DI) may complicate the postoperative course in as many as 30% of patients. Early and accurate diagnosis of water and electrolyte disturbances postoperatively is important for an adequate fluid and drug administration. However, identifying the causes is challenging/ ambiguous in clinical practice. Levels of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) might contribute to a straightforward diagnosis, though, its measurement is cumbersome. ADH is derived from a larger precursor peptide along with copeptin, which is a more stable peptide directly mirroring the production of ADH. Copeptin can be assayed readily in plasma. Aim: To investigate whether copeptin can accurately diagnose postoperative disturbances of water homeostasis (i.e. Diabetes insipidus and SIADH) in a cohort of patients undergoing intracranial tumor surgery.