抄録
The clinical progress of a patient with Cushing's disease has been studied in detail for two years. Standard ests of pituitary-adrenal function revealed bilateral hyperplasia secondary to excessive ACTH. Reserpine therapy alone, administered for a month, resulted in marked clinical and biochemical improvement. Subsequent treatment consisted of pituitary irradiation in combination with reserpine therapy. Upon completion of irradiation, both plasma cortisol and base line urinary 17-OHCS decreased to normal levels. The patient has been treated for another 22 months with reserpine. Fourteen months after initiation of therapy, the patient was judged to be in complete remission as indicated by return of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion to the normal pattern. On the basis of this study and earlier observations, we suggest that reserpine might be helpful in the therapy of Cushing's disease, especially in those patients who have no demonstrable pituitary adenoma.
