CRH stimulation improves F-FDG-PET detection of pituitary adenomas in Cushing's disease.

Objective: In MRI-negative cases Cushing's disease (CD), surgeons perform a more extensive exploration of the pituitary gland, with fewer instances of hormonal remission. F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has a limited role in detecting adenomas that cause CD (corticotropinomas). Our previous work demonstrated corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation leads to delayed, selective glucose uptake in corticotropinomas.