Acromegaly : Tests

High growth hormone level; High insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level; Spine x-ray shows abnormal bone growth; Pituitary MRI may show a pituitary tumor; Echocardiogram may show an enlarged heart, leaky mitral valve, or leaky aortic valve. Thi...

Acromegaly is a rare condition caused by abnormally high amounts of human growth hormone (HGH). An organ in the brain known as the pituitary gland, normally secretes this growth hormone. Normal amounts of HGH are needed for normal growth and physi...

Acromegaly is a rare condition caused by abnormally high amounts of human growth hormone (HGH). An organ in the brain known as the pituitary gland, normally secretes this growth hormone. Normal amounts of HGH are needed for normal growth and physi...

17-ketosteroids are substances that form when the body breaks down male steroid sex hormones called androgens and other hormones released by adrenal cortex. This article discusses the laboratory test used to measure the amount of 17-ketosteroids in a urine sample.

17-hydroxycorticosteroid (17-OHCS) is an inactive product formed when the liver and other body tissues break down the steroid hormone, cortisol. This article discusses the laboratory test to measure the amount of 17-OHCS in urine.

Echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than x-ray image and involves no radiation exposure.

Echocardiography is a diagnostic test that uses ultrasound waves to create an image of the heart muscle. Ultrasound waves that rebound or echo off the heart can show the size, shape, and movement of the heart ' s valves and chambers as well as the flow of blood through the heart.

An echocardiogram (echo) is an imaging test. It helps your doctor evaluate your heart. Here is how it works.

Detailed information on a echocardiography (echo) procedure, including how the procedure is performed, reasons for the procedure, and pre- and post-evaluation instructions

Detailed information on echocardiography, including types and how the procedure is performed

Echocardiography is a diagnostic test that uses ultrasound waves to produce an image of the heart muscle and the heart ' s valves. Purpose Echocardiography is used to diagnose certain cardiovascular diseases, and is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease.

A cranial CT scan is computed tomography of the head, including the skull, brain, orbits (eye sockets), and sinuses.

Head injury is an injury to the scalp, skull, or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross-sectional views of body organs and tissues.

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull , or brain . The most important consequence of head injury is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross- sectional views of body organs and tissues.

CT imaging equipment includes conventional, spiral, multi-slice, and electron-beam computed tomography full-body scanners, which use x rays to acquire cross-sectional images and computer workstations to reconstruct acquired image data for display on a viewing monitor or printed on film. Also referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning equipment.

Computed tomography (also known as CT, CT scan, CAT, or computerized axial tomography) scans use x rays to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures. With the development of modern computers, the scans enhanced digital capabilities allowed the development of computed tomography imaging (derived from the Greek tomos , meaning " to slice " ).

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

The glucose tolerance test is a laboratory method to check how the body breaks down (metabolizes) blood sugar.

The growth hormone (GH) stimulation test measures the level of growth hormone (GH) in the blood after you receive arginine or GH-releasing hormone. The test measures the ability of the pituitary gland to release GH.

During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems. A typical physical examination includes: Inspection (looking at the body; Palpation (feeling the body with hands; Auscultation (listening to sounds; Percussion (producing sounds.

An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct clear, detailed pictures of brain tissues. Conventional radiography and computed tomographic (CT) imaging use potentially harmful radiation (x-rays) that passes through a patient to generate images. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on the magnetic properties of atoms, and there is no exposure to the same type of radiation used in x-rays and CT scans. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. Radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, returning a signal of their own. The slight differences of those signals from different tissues enables MRI to tell the difference between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant tissue. Any imaging angle, or "slice", can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI can easily be performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. These errors are called artifacts.

Like all other parts of the body, the brain and central nervous system are made up of cells that ordinarily grow and divide to create new cells as needed. This is usually an orderly process; but when cells lose their ability to grow normally or to die off naturally, they divide too often and produce tumors that are made up of these extra cells.

Part of the central nervous system located in the skull. Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development that are present at birth. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

Brain abscess is a bacterial infection within the brain. The brain is usually well insulated from infection by bacteria, protected by the skull, the meninges (tissue layers surrounding the brain), the immune system, and the highly regulated barrier between the bloodstream and the brain.

A brain biopsy is the removal of a small piece of brain tissue for the diagnosis of abnormalities of the brain, such as Alzheimer ' s disease , tumors, infection, or inflammation. Purpose By examining the tissue sample under a microscope, the biopsy sample provides doctors with the information necessary to guide diagnosis and treatment.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system located in the skull. It controls the mental processes and physical actions of a human being.

The brain is a large mass of soft nervous tissue made up of both neurons and supporting glial cells lying within the cranium of the skull. The brain contains both gray and white matter.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners rely on the principles of atomic nuclear-spin resonance. Using strong magnetic fields and radio waves, MRI collects and correlates deflections caused by atoms into images.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system (CNS) inside the skull (the part outside the skull is the spinal cord ). It gives rise to cognitive thought processes and controls various body functions including muscular activity, speech, sight, hearing , breathing, and digestion.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue, either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous), in the brain. Each year, more than 17,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States.

Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine, which is an important part of muscle. A serum creatinine test measures the amount of creatinine in the blood. Creatinine can also be measured with a urine test. See: Creatinine - urine

Creatine is an important compound produced by the body. It combines with phosphorus to make a high-energy phosphate compound in the body.

A blood glucose test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in a sample of your blood. See also: Glucose test - urine; Glucose test - CSF; Home blood glucose monitoring.

Glucose tests are used to determine the concentration of glucose in blood , urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and other body fluids. These tests are used to detect an increased blood glucose (hyperglycemia), a decreased blood glucose (hypoglycemia), increased glucose in the urine (glycosuria), and a decrease in cerebrospinal, serous, and synovial fluid glucose.

A thoracic spine x-ray is an x-ray of the twelve chest (thoracic) vertebrae. The vertebrae are separated by flat pads of cartilage that cushion them.

Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine, which is an important part of muscle. Creatinine is removed from the body entirely by the kidneys. A test can be done to measures the amount of creatinine in your urine. A blood test can also be used to determine your creatinine level. See: Serum creatinine