Context Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex hypothalamic disorder, combining hyperphagia, hypotonia, intellectual disability and pituitary hormone deficiencies. Annual mortality of patients with PWS is high (3%). In half of the patients, the cause of death is obesity related and / or of cardiopulmonary origin. Health problems leading to this increased mortality often remain undetected due to the complexity and rareness of the syndrome Objective To assess the prevalence of health problems in adults with PWS retrospectively Patients, Design and Setting We systematically screened 115 PWS adults for undiagnosed health problems. All patients visited the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for rare endocrine syndromes at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We collected results of medical questionnaires, interviews, physical examinations, biochemical measurements, poly(somno-)graphy and radiology Main outcome measures Presence or absence of endocrine and non-endocrine comorbidities in relation to living situation, body mass index, genotype and demographic factors Results Seventy patients (61%) had undiagnosed health problems, while one in every four patients had multiple undiagnosed health problems simultaneously. All males and 93% of females had hypogonadism, 74% scoliosis, 18% hypertension, 19% hypercholesterolemia, 17% type 2 diabetes mellitus and 17% hypothyroidism. Unfavourable lifestyle was common: 22% exercised too little (according to PWS criteria) and 37% did not see a dietitian Conclusions Systematic screening revealed many undiagnosed health problems in PWS-adults. Based on patient characteristics, we provide an algorithm for diagnostics and treatment, with the aim to prevent early complications and reduce mortality in this vulnerable patient group

Context Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is associated with several hypothalamic-pituitary hormone deficiencies. There is no agreement on the prevalence of central adrenal insufficiency (CAI) in adults with PWS. In some countries, it is general practice to prescribe stress-dose hydrocortisone during physical or psychological stress in patients with PWS. Side effects of frequent hydrocortisone use are weight gain, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension—already major problems in adults with PWS. However, undertreatment of CAI can cause significant morbidity—or even mortality. Objective To prevent both over- and undertreatment with hydrocortisone, we assessed the prevalence of CAI in a large international cohort of adults with PWS. As the synacthen test shows variable results in PWS, we only use the metyrapone test (MTP) and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Design Metyrapone test or ITT in adults with PWS (N = 82) and review of medical files for symptoms of hypocortisolism related to surgery (N = 645). Setting Outpatient clinic. Patients or Other Participants Eighty-two adults with genetically confirmed PWS. Main Outcome Measure For MTP, 11-deoxycortisol > 230 nmol/L was considered sufficient. For ITT, cortisol > 500 nmol/L (Dutch, French, and Swedish patients) or > 450 nmol/L (British patients) was considered sufficient. Results Central adrenal insufficiency was excluded in 81 of 82 patients. Among the 645 patients whose medical files were reviewed, 200 had undergone surgery without perioperative hydrocortisone treatment. None of them had displayed any features of hypocortisolism. Conclusions Central adrenal insufficiency is rare (1.2%) in adults with PWS. Based on these results, we recommend against routinely prescribing hydrocortisone stress-doses in adults with PWS.

Context Features of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) overlap with features of growth hormone (GH) deficiency, like small hands and feet, short stature, increased body fat and low muscle mass and strength. In children with PWS, GH treatment (GHt) improves physical health and cognition. GHt has become standard of care in PWS children, but in adults this is not yet the case. Objective To provide an overview of the current knowledge on GHt in PWS adults. Data source Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Study selection Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized (un)controlled trials (NRCTs) that reported data for adults with PWS, who received GHt for at least six months. Data extraction Data on body composition, body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular endpoints, bone, cognitive function, quality of life and safety were extracted. Data synthesis Nine RCTs and 20 NRCTs were included. Body composition improved during 12 months of GHt with an increase in mean (95% CI) lean body mass of 1.95 kg (0.04 – 3.87 kg), and a reduction of mean (95% CI) fat mass of -2.23% (-4.10% to -0.36%). BMI, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, fasting glucose levels and bone mineral density did not change during GHt. There were no major safety issues. Conclusion GHt appears to be safe and improves body composition in adults with PWS. As poor body composition is closely linked to the observed high incidence of cardiovascular morbidity in adults with PWS, improving body composition might reduce cardiovascular complications in this vulnerable patient group.

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Early structural changes to the heart, including the chambers and the coronary arteries, provide important information on pre-clinical heart disease like cardiac failure. Currently, contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is the preferred modality for the visualization of the cardiac chambers and the coronaries. In clinical practice not every patient undergoes a CCTA scan; many patients receive only a non-contrast-enhanced calcium scoring CT scan (CTCS), which has less radiation dose and does not require the administration of contrast agent. Quantifying cardiac structures in such images is challenging, as they lack the contrast present in CCTA scans. Such quantification would however be relevant, as it enables population based studies with only a CTCS scan. The purpose of this work is therefore to investigate the feasibility of automatic segmentation and quantification of cardiac structures viz whole heart, left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, right ventricle and aortic root from CTCS scans. A fully automatic multi-atlas-based segmentation approach is used to segment the cardiac structures. Results show that the segmentation overlap between the automatic method and that of the reference standard have a Dice similarity coefficient of 0.91 on average for the cardiac chambers. The mean surface-to-surface distance error over all the cardiac structures is [Formula: see text] mm. The automatically obtained cardiac chamber volumes using the CTCS scans have an excellent correlation when compared to the volumes in corresponding CCTA scans, a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95 is obtained. Our fully automatic method enables large-scale assessment of cardiac structures on non-contrast-enhanced CT scans.

Background and Purpose— Intracranial carotid artery calcification (ICAC) is a surrogate marker of intracranial arteriosclerosis, which may impact the revascularization and clinical outcome of acute stroke patients who undergo mechanical thrombectomy. Methods— We included 194 patients admitted to our Stroke Unit between January 2009 and September 2015 who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for an anterior circulation occlusion. ICAC was quantified in both intracranial carotid arteries on the nonenhanced computed tomographic scan that was acquired before thrombectomy. Complete arterial revascularization was defined as a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction ≥2b on the final angiographic examination. Poor functional outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of >2 at 90 days. We assessed the independent effect of ICAC volume on complete arterial revascularization, functional outcome, and mortality using logistic regression models adjusted for relevant confounders. Results— ICAC was present in 164 (84.5%) patients, with a median volume of 87.1 mm 3 (25th–75th quartile: 18.9–254.6 mm 3 ). We found that larger ICAC volumes were associated with incomplete arterial revascularization (adjusted odds ratio per unit increase in ln-transformed ICAC volume 0.73 [95% confidence interval, 0.57–0.93]) and with poorer functional outcome (adjusted odds ratio per unit increase in ln-transformed ICAC volume 1.31 [95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.66]). Conclusions— A larger amount of ICAC before mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke patients is an indicator of worse postprocedural arterial revascularization and poorer functional outcome.

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic syndrome characterized by hyperphagia, intellectual disability, hypotonia and hypothalamic dysfunction. Adults with PWS often have hormone deficiencies, hypogonadism being the most common. Untreated male hypogonadism can aggravate PWS-related health issues including muscle weakness, obesity, osteoporosis, and fatigue. Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment of male hypogonadism is important. In this article, we share our experience with hypogonadism and its treatment in adult males with PWS and present a review of the literature. In order to report the prevalence and type of hypogonadism, treatment regimen and behavioral issues, we retrospectively collected data on medical interviews, physical examinations, biochemical measurements and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in 57 Dutch men with PWS. Fifty-six (98%) of the patients had either primary, central or combined hypogonadism. Untreated hypogonadism was associated with higher body mass index and lower hemoglobin concentrations. TRT was complicated by behavioral challenges in one third of the patients. Undertreatment was common and normal serum testosterone levels were achieved in only 30% of the patients. Based on the Dutch cohort data, review of the literature and an international expert panel discussion, we provide a practical algorithm for TRT in adult males with PWS in order to prevent undertreatment and related adverse health outcomes.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare neuroendocrine genetic syndrome. Characteristics of PWS include hyperphagia, hypotonia, and intellectual disability. Pituitary hormone deficiencies, caused by hypothalamic dysfunction, are common and hypogonadism is the most prevalent. Untreated hypogonadism can cause osteoporosis, which is already an important issue in PWS. Therefore, timely detection and treatment of hypogonadism is crucial. To increase understanding and prevent undertreatment, we (1) performed a cohort study in the Dutch PWS population, (2) thoroughly reviewed the literature on female hypogonadism in PWS and (3) provide clinical recommendations on behalf of an international expert panel. For the cohort study, we retrospectively collected results of a systematic health screening in 64 female adults with PWS, which included a medical questionnaire, medical file search, medical interview, physical examination and biochemical measurements. Our data show that hypogonadism is frequent in females with PWS (94%), but is often undiagnosed and untreated. This could be related to unfamiliarity with the syndrome, fear of behavioral changes, hygienic concerns, or drug interactions. To prevent underdiagnosis and undertreatment, we provide practical recommendations for the screening and treatment of hypogonadism in females with PWS.