Analyses of factors influencing the acute effect of octreotide in growth hormone-secreting adenomas.

Somatostatin analogues such as octreotide are used to treat active acromegalic patients by reducing serum growth hormone (GH) levels. However, the acute effect of octreotide on GH secretion differs among patients. To elucidate factors influencing the acute effect of octreotide, we collected data from 56 patients with somatotroph adenoma from two institutions.

Long-term remission of cyclic Cushing's disease that was diagnosed and treated surgically in non-active phase.

Cyclic Cushing's disease is a rare clinical entity that is defined as a periodic excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. Only 42 cases with cyclic Cushing's disease have been reported in the literature. The diagnosis is very difficult because of the fluctuating secretion of ACTH and cortisol.

Microsurgical excision of a retro-odontoid disc hernia via a far-lateral approach: successful treatment of a rare cause of myelopathy: case report.

Objective And Importance: Among mass lesions causing myelopathy at the craniovertebral junction, retro-odontoid intervertebral disc hernias are very rare, with only four such cases reported in the literature.

Clinical Presentation: A 77-year-old woman with this rare condition complained of motor and sensory disturbances in her extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrated an extradural mass lesion at the craniovertebral junction, compressing the lower medulla oblongata and the upper cervical cord posteriorly.