Objectives-We aimed to compare the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), technetium Tc 99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile ( 99m Tc-MIBI) single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) scintigraphy, and high-resolution ultrasound (US) in the detection of a pathologic parathyroid gland in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT).Methods-Twenty-nine consecutive patients with pHPT were prospectively enrolled and underwent preoperative imaging with 99m Tc-MIBI SPECT scintigraphy, high-resolution US, and CEUS and subsequent parathyroidectomy. Contrast-enhanced US examinations were performed by an experienced examiner who was blinded to the results of scintigraphy and high-resolution US. The diagnostic performance of all of the imaging tests was analyzed in comparison with the pathologic anatomic findings. All investigations were performed at La Paz University Hospital.Results-In the 29 patients (22 female and 7 male), a total of 31 parathyroid adenomas were detected: single lesions in 27 patients and a double lesion in 2 patients. Contrast-enhanced US revealed sensitivity of 66.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 46%-82.7%) for detection of single adenomas in comparison with 77.8 % (95% CI, 57.3%-90.6) for 99m Tc-MIBI SPECT scintigraphy and 51.8% (95% CI, 32.3%-70.8%) for high-resolution US (P = .100). With CEUS, double adenomas could be detected in both cases (sensitivity, 100%); however, scintigraphy and high-resolution US did not detect any cases of double adenomas. In addition, CEUS allowed the differentiation of lymphatic nodes from parathyroid glands in 2 patients. No side effects were observed for CEUS.Conclusions-In our study, CEUS facilitated the detection and diagnosis of double adenomas compared with high-resolution US and 99m Tc-MIBI SPECT scintigraphy. Additionally, CEUS was useful in the differentiation between parathyroid adenomas and lymph nodes.

Aim The ACROPRAXIS program aims to describe the management of acromegaly in Spain and provide guidance. Methods Ninety-three endocrinologists were organized into 13 panels to discuss the practical issues in managing acromegaly. Based on the key learnings, an online Delphi survey with 62 statements was performed, so those statements achieving consensus could be used as guidance. Statements were rated on a 9-point scale (9, full agreement; consensus > 66.6% of response in the same tertile). Results Ninety-two endocrinologists (98.8%) answered two rounds of the survey (mean age 47.6 years; 59.8% women; median 18.5 years of experience). Consensus was achieved for 49 (79%) statements. Diagnosis: The levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGFI) is the preferred screening test. If IGFI levels 1–1.3 ULN, the test is repeated and growth hormone (GH) after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is assessed. A pituitary magnetic resonance is performed after biochemical diagnosis. Treatment: Surgery is the first treatment choice for patients with microadenoma or macroadenoma with/without optical pathway compression. Pre-surgical somatostatin analogues (SSA) are indicated when surgery is delayed and/or to reduce anaesthesia-associated risks. After unsuccessful surgery, reintervention is performed if the residual tumor is resectable, while if non-resectable, SSA are administered. Follow-up First biochemical and clinical controls are performed 1–3 months after surgery. Disease remission is considered if random GH levels are < 1 µg/L or OGTT is < 1 or ≤ 0.4 µg/L, depending on the assay’s sensitivity. Conclusion Current clinical management for acromegaly is homogeneous across Spain and generally follows clinical guidelines.

Purpose Recent data indicate that extended dosing intervals (EDIs) with lanreotide autogel 120 mg are effective and wellreceived among patients with acromegaly who have achieved biochemical control with monthly injections of long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs). We further evaluated the effectiveness of lanreotide autogel 120 mg delivered at EDIs (>4 weeks) in routine clinical practice. Methods Cross-sectional, multicentre, observational study conducted to determine the effectiveness-measured by control of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-of lanreotide autogel 120 mg at dosing intervals >4 weeks for ≥6 months in selected patients with acromegaly treated in routine clinical practice (NCT02807233). Secondary assessments included control of growth hormone (GH) levels, treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and quality of life (QoL) using validated questionnaires (EQ-5D, AcroQoL, and TSQM-9). Patients who received radiotherapy within the last 6 months were excluded. Results Among 109 patients evaluated, mean (SD) age was 59.1 (13.2) years. IGF-1 values were normal (mean [SD]: 175.0 [74.5], 95% CI: 160.8-189.1) in 91.7% of cases and normal in 91.4% of patients without previous radiotherapy treatment (n = 81). GH levels were ≤2.5 and ≤1 ng/mL, respectively, in 80.6% and 58.3%. Most patients were treated either every 5-6 (57.8%) or 7-8 weeks (38.5%), with 2.8% treated greater than every 8 weeks. The mean AcroQoL score was 63.0 (20.1). The mean global treatment satisfaction score (TSQM-9) was 75.1 (16.6). Treatment adherence (defined as no missed injections) was 94.5%. Conclusion Lanreotide autogel 120 mg at intervals of >4 weeks provided IGF-1 control in more than 90% of patients with acromegaly. Treatment satisfaction and adherence were good. These findings support use of extended dosing intervals in patients who have achieved good biochemical control with long-acting SSAs.

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Purpose: To identify presurgical and surgical risk factors for postsurgical complications in the pheochromocytoma surgery.Methods: A retrospective study of pheochromocytomas submitted to surgery in ten Spanish hospitals between 2011 and 2021. Postoperative complications were classi ed according to Clavien-Dindo scale.Results: One hundred and sixty-two surgeries (159 patients) were included. Preoperative antihypertensive blockade was performed in 95.1% of the patients, being doxazosin in monotherapy (43.8%) the most frequent regimen. Patients pre-treated with doxazosin required intraoperative hypotensive treatment more frequently (49.4% vs 25.0%, P=0.003) than patients treated with phenoxybenzamine, but no differences in the rate of intraoperative and postsurgical complications were observed. However, patients treated with phenoxybenzamine had a longer hospital stay (12.2±11.16 vs 6.2±6.82, P<0.001) than those treated with doxazosin. Hypertension resolution was observed in 78.7% and biochemical cure in 96.6% of the patients. Thirty-one patients (19.1%) had postsurgical complications. Prolonged hypotension was the most common, in 9.9% (n=16), followed by hypoglycaemia in 6 patients and acute renal failure in 4 patients. 13.0% of complications had a score ≥3 in the Clavien-Dindo scale. Postsurgical complications were more common in in patients with diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, higher plasma glucose levels, higher urinary free metanephrine and norepinephrine, and with pheochromocytomas larger than 5 cm. Conclusion:Preoperative medical treatment and postsurgical monitoring of pheochromocytoma should be especially careful in patients with diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, higher levels of plasma glucose and urine free metanephrine and norepinephrine, and with pheochromocytomas >5 cm, due to the higher risk of postsurgical complications. Introduction:Pheochromocytomas are rare neuroendocrine tumours that produce catecholamines [1]. They are a lifethreatening condition because catecholamine secretion is unpredictable, resulting in hypertension, arrhythmia, and/or other cardiovascular complications [2]. Surgery represents the primary treatment for pheochromocytomas [1]. Due to improvements in perioperative treatment, anaesthesia and surgical techniques, the mortality has dropped markedly in the last thirty years, but the risk of cardiovascular complications remains still high [3]. Intraoperative complications, including hypertensive crisis, hemodynamic instability and tachyarrhythmias, among others, have been reported in 30-50% of the pheochromocytoma surgeries [4][5][6]. The main postoperative major complications are prolonged hypotension and rebound hypoglycaemia [1]. However, postsurgical complications are usually less reported in pheochromocytoma studies, and are usually described in around 20-30% of the patients in recent series [4][7][8][9].Few studies have evaluated the grade of these complications using validate scales as the Clavien-Dindo score [4][10][9][8]. Moreover, studies evaluating risk factors for p...

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The purpose of our study was to develop a predictive model to rule out pheochromocytoma among adrenal tumours, based on unenhanced computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. We performed a retrospective multicentre study of 1131 patients presenting with adrenal lesions including 163 subjects with histological confirmation of pheochromocytoma (PHEO), and 968 patients showing no clinical suspicion of pheochromocytoma in whom plasma and/or urinary metanephrines and/or catecholamines were within reference ranges (non-PHEO). We found that tumour size was significantly larger in PHEO than non-PHEO lesions (44.3 ± 33.2 versus 20.6 ± 9.2 mm respectively; P < 0.001). Mean unenhanced CT attenuation was higher in PHEO (52.4 ± 43.1 versus 4.7 ± 17.9HU; P < 0.001). High lipid content in CT was more frequent among non-PHEO (83.6% versus 3.8% respectively; P < 0.001); and this feature alone had 83.6% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity to rule out pheochromocytoma with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.899. The combination of high lipid content and tumour size improved the diagnostic accuracy (AUC-ROC 0.961, sensitivity 88.1% and specificity 92.3%). The probability of having a pheochromocytoma was 0.1% for adrenal lesions smaller than 20 mm showing high lipid content in CT. Ninety percent of non-PHEO presented loss of signal in the “out of phase” MRI sequence compared to 39.0% of PHEO (P < 0.001), but the specificity of this feature for the diagnosis of non-PHEO lesions low. In conclusion, our study suggests that sparing biochemical screening for pheochromocytoma might be reasonable in patients with adrenal lesions smaller than 20 mm showing high lipid content in the CT scan, if there are no typical signs and symptoms of pheochromocytoma.