Improvement of congestive heart failure after octreotide and transsphenoidal surgery in a patient with acromegaly

Intern Med. 2009;48(9):697-700. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.48.1537. Epub 2009 May 1.

Abstract

A 59-year-old man was admitted because of congestive heart failure. He was suspected to have acromegaly, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a pituitary macroadenoma. Endocrine examination revealed elevated plasma levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and an oral glucose tolerance test failed to suppress plasma GH levels, consistent with the diagnosis of GH-producing pituitary tumor. Treatment with octreotide, followed by transsphenoidal surgery resulted in normalization of plasma GH/IGF-1 levels, accompanied by the improvement of cardiac function. Thus, it is suggested that excess GH/IGF-1 axis is involved in the development of acromegaly-related cardiomyopathy in the present case.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acromegaly / diagnostic imaging
  • Acromegaly / drug therapy*
  • Acromegaly / surgery*
  • Heart Failure / diagnostic imaging
  • Heart Failure / drug therapy*
  • Heart Failure / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Octreotide / therapeutic use*
  • Radiography
  • Sphenoid Sinus / diagnostic imaging
  • Sphenoid Sinus / surgery

Substances

  • Octreotide