ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Proton beam therapy (PBT) is being used increasingly for craniopharyngioma, as it is perceived to be a major benefit. There are some limited data relating to endocrine dysfunction following PBT, but very limited data on hypothalamic disturbance. Here we report two patients who presented with hypothalamic disruption immediately following PBT for craniopharyngioma.Case 1: A 12 year old girl presented with sei...

Introduction: Hypomethylation at the imprinting control region 2 (IC2) on chromosome 11p15.5 is the commonest identifiable cause of Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS). IC2 is located in KCNQ1 intron 10 and is associated with Long QT syndrome (LQTS). A recent consensus statement on BWS1 recommends annual cardiac evaluation with electrocardiogram (ECG) in these patients. The natural history of LQTS secondary to hypomethylation at IC2 in BWS is...

Introduction: Noonan Syndrome (NS) is an autosomal dominant condition that affects 1 in 1000 to 2500 live births and is associated with short stature. Studies have shown that height velocity (HV) improved significantly with the use of growth hormone (GH) in the first year of treatment and sustained for the second year. We aimed to look at the effects of GH therapy in our cohort of patients with NS.Method: In this retrosp...

Introduction: Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) require life long glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. In CAH, the adverse effect of GC on bone health (BH) may be counteracted by the effect of modest elevations in adrenal androgens.Aim: To examine relationships between BH index (BHI) SDS, calculated by BoneXpert on bone age (BA) x-rays, BA, hydrocortisone (HC) dose (mg/m2 per day), and mean 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) concentratio...

Background: Diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are well established in the adult population, but may not be appropriate for adolescent girls. Clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism is one important diagnostic criterion. Screening for hyperandrogenism is often restricted to measurements of testosterone in adult practice. It was our impression that this strategy would under-diagnose PCOS in our adolescent population.Objective ...

Background: Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty (CDGP) is a transient state of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism associated with prolongation of childhood phase of growth, delayed bone age and pubertal delay. CDGP can cause significant psychological stress and anxiety in adolescent boys. Although testosterone usage in this group has not been shown to affect the final adult height, the effect on the first year height velocity is not widely reported.Obj...

Background: The hallmark of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the demonstration of detectable plasma insulin during hypoglycaemia. Insulin can be undetectable in a significant proportion of patients with CHI. Plasma samples for insulin requires rapid and careful handling for reliable results. There is little published data on the value of C-peptide in the diagnosis of CHI.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the usefulness of C-peptide in the diagnosis ...

Background: Carney complex (CC) is a rare, dominantly inherited condition due to mutations of the tumour suppressor gene PRKAR1A. Endocrine manifestations include: Cushing’s syndrome (CS) due to primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease, pituitary adenomas, testicular neoplasms, thyroid tumours, and ovarian cysts. The management of some of these tumours is controversial.Objective and hypotheses: To describe conservative management of CC.<...

Background: Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the commonest cause of persistent neonatal hypoglycaemia and is characterised by inappropriately detectable plasma insulin during hypoglycaemia. Management depends on the timely analysis of biochemical parameters, which would help initiate appropriate management and avoid potential neurological compromise. The technical difficulties in sending the appropriate sample and the delay in processing the sample in the lab sometimes cont...

Introduction: Hypothalamus is a key regulator of hunger and energy expenditure. Children with CNS tumours are at risk of hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction which could be related to the direct effects of the tumour or treatment.Aim: To assess the prevalence and severity of obesity in children diagnosed and treated for CNS tumours at a tertiary paediatric centre.Methods: We retr...