Academic literature on the topic 'Carmel du faubourg Saint-Jacques'

Le Nestour E, Abécassis J-P, Bertagna X, Bonnin A, Luton J-P. Silent necrosis of a pituitary corticotroph adenoma revealed by timely magnetic resonance imaging: a cause of spontaneous remission of Cushing's disease. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;130:469–71. ISSN 0804–4643 Spontaneous necrosis of a corticotroph adenoma is rare and is a very unlikely way of curing Cushing's disease. We report hereafter a case where magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary provided clear evidence of the event. Successive and timely pituitary magnetic resonance imaging in this patient showed first a typical microadenoma as a well-limited mass with a low signal intensity before the necrosis, then a bright signal before gadolinium injection in the T1-weighted image at the time of the event and, finally, the aspect of an empty sella turcica with a small arachnoidocele 1 year later. The necrosis of a corticotroph adenoma is more frequent in macro- than in microadenomas, and is usually heralded by headache and visual disturbances. In this case, pituitary necrosis was entirely asymptomatic, and cured the patient as well as the surgeon's knife would have. Nevertheless, this exceptional occurrence does not rule out the possibility of a recurrence. X Bartagna, Clinique des Maladies Endocriniennes et Métaboliques, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue due Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France

Barrou Z, Guiban D, Maroufi A, Fournier C, Dugué M-A, Luton J-P. Thomopoulos P. Overnight dexamethasone suppression test: comparison of plasma and salivary cortisol measurement for the screening of Cushing's syndrome. Eur J Endocrinol 1996:134:93–6. ISSN 0804–4643 The overnight 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test is a very good screening test for subjects suspected of having Cushing's syndrome. To simplify the procedure, we evaluated the 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test with measurement of salivary cortisol. We performed this test with plasma and salivary cortisol measurements in 27 patients with Cushing's syndrome and 64 normal controls. The sensitivity and specificity of plasma cortisol measurements were 100% and 87%, respectively, for a cut-off point of 100 nmol/l, in accordance with previous studies. The results of salivary cortisol showed the absence of overlap between the two groups, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100% for a cut-off point of 2.8 nmol/l, On a larger series, however, one might occasionally miss the diagnosis of a patient with Cushing's syndrome. Therefore, we favor a cut-off point of 1.9 nmol/l, the sensitivity remaining at 100% and the specificity being 94%. In conclusion we recommend the overnight dexamethasone suppression test with measurement of salivary cortisol as a screening test for Cushing's syndrome. Pierre Thomopoulos. Clinique des maladies endocriniennes et métaboliques. Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris, France

Massias JF, Hardouin S, Vieau D, Lenne F, Bertagna X. Phosphorylated forms of adrenocorticotropin and corticotropin-like intermediary lobe peptide in human tumors. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;131:341–6. ISSN 0804–4643 Many peptides contribute to the heterogeneity of immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) in man. The use of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) specifically directed against the C-terminal end of ACTH allowed us to study precisely the following four peptides: ACTH itself, corticotropin-like intermediary lobe peptide (CLIP) or ACTH(18–39) and their phosphorylated forms on Ser31. We have set up a highperformance liquid chromatography system that separates these four molecules in a single run, to establish their relative distributions in tumors responsible for Cushing's disease or for the ectopic ACTH syndrome, and to evaluate the possible interference of phospho-Ser on various RIA or immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) recognition systems for ACTH. In this system, alkaline phosphatase treatment shifted the retention time of the phosphorylated peptides to that of their non-phosphorylated counterparts. In three tumors responsible for the ectopic ACTH syndrome, CLIP peptides were predominant in two and phosphorylated molecules represented between 22% and 50% of immunoreactive materials. In five pituitary tumors responsible for Cushing's disease, ACTH peptides were predominant and the phosphorylated molecules varied between 35% and 75% in four of them. In the same tumor the ratios of phosphorylated to non-phosphorylated CLIP or ACTH were identical. The presence of phospho-Ser31 did not affect the recognition ability of two mid-ACTH and two C-terminal ACTH RIAs, nor of the ACTH IRMA (Allegro, Nichols). Xavier Bertagna, CJF 92-08 Endocrinologie, Faculté Cochin-Port Royal, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France

Mosnier-Pudar H, Thomopoulos P, Bertagna X, Fournier C, Guiban D, Luton JP. Long-distance and long-term follow-up of a patient with intermittent Cushing's disease by salivary cortisol measurements. Eur J Endocrinol 1995;133:313–6. ISSN 0804–4643 Salivary cortisol is an excellent indicator of the plasma free cortisol concentration in normal and pathological situations. We took advantage of its ease of sampling, allowing multiple collections at home, to follow the course of a patient with Cushing's disease living in North Africa. This 48-year-old woman presented with a clinically moderate hypercortisolism caused by a large basophilic pituitary adenoma. Bilateral extension to the cavernous sinuses precluded surgical therapy. She went into spontaneous remission based on clinical signs as well as biochemical findings. During the following 2 years she demonstrated intermittent relapses that were treated by radiotherapy (50 Gy), followed by ketoconazole and then o-paraprime-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (Op′DDD). After a prolonged clinical remission, Cushing's syndrome again became active. Bromocriptine was started without effect and a new treatment with Op′DDD was began. Evaluation and follow-up were performed during hospitalizations and mainly through the measurements of salivary cortisol in more than 100 samples sent from North Africa by air mail to our department in Paris. Thus we were able to demonstrate intermittent overproduction of cortisol before any treatment, with periods of normal and even low values, and to follow the efficacy of therapy and to detect the relapses. We conclude that measurement of salivary cortisol is a valuable tool in difficult clinical situations such as intermittent hypercortisolism and remoteness between the patient and hospital. H Mosnier-Pudar, Clinique des Maladies Endocriniennes et Metaboliques, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France