Management of Cushing’s disease

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled “Pitfalls in the management of Cushing’s disease.” (J Clin Neurosci. 2007 May;14(5):401-8). Author is Bademci G, from the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kirikkale, Kirikkale, Turkey. Cushing’s disease is caused by functional corticotroph adenomas of the pituitary gland. Transsphenoidal microsurgery is an effective means of control for patients with adrenocorticotrophic hormone-producing microadenomas. The major causes of surgical failure in the treatment of Cushing’s disease lies in inadequate preoperative evaluation, unsuccessful identification of the adenoma and inexperience of the surgeon. For optimal results in this rare disease, endocrinological, radiological and surgical procedures should be co-ordinated in a specialized center. In this review, factors affecting preoperative evaluation, surgical success and outcome are outlined in the light of current knowledge. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.