Diagnosis of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction: A Review of 1999 Versus 2008

摘要

Since 1999, significant new information has been reported about pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses including its probable underlying cause, the role of the pars intermedia (PI) in the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in health and disease, improved understanding of pathological changes in the PI associated with age and with disease, new diagnostic strategies, and improved understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of many older diagnostic tests. Whenever choosing one of the currently available diagnostic tests for PPID, it is important for the clinician to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the tests and tailor the selection of these tests to the clinical status of the patient at the time of testing with the understanding that it may be necessary to either repeat tests over time or utilize more than one test in a given patient.