DOI: 10.1530/eje.1.02296
European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 155, suppl_1, S139
Copyright © 2006 by European Society of Endocrinology
Workshops: an introduction
Ieuan Hughes, Guest Editor
The clinical case history has generally fallen out of favour as a modus operandi for publication, unless there is a seminal message from the case in question that impacts on the understanding of endocrine pathophysiology or some novel aspect of management. There remains the important educational benefit that can be gleaned from clearly presented cases that pose a challenge in management.
The following four case presentations arise from editing the Workshops held during the Symposium. All four topics relate to problems the clinician faces in establishing an accurate diagnosis and, thereafter, selecting the most appropriate management plan in the circumstances. A case of hypernatraemia due to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus poses a challenge of how best to keep the serum sodium relatively normal. A child with thyrotoxicosis relapses off anti-thyroid treatment, so should definitive treatment be given with radio-iodine or surgery? Hypoglycaemia of the newborn due to congenital hyperinsulinism remains a complex management problem, despite major advances in understanding the pathophysiology. Then, the obese adolescent girl with menstrual irregularities. Does she have the polycystic ovary syndrome, and what is the role of metformin in this age group? These cases are just a sample of the disorders encountered in clinical practice. Their presentation is clearly focussed and the modern concepts of pathophysiology and management fully described.
