Hypersomatotropism and Hypercortisolism Caused by a Plurihormonal Pituitary Adenoma in a Dog.

acromegaly; caber goline; corticotropinoma; cushing's syndrome; growth hormone; insulin‐like growth factor‐1; somatotropinoma; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Cabergoline; Ergolines; Growth Hormone; Animals; Dogs; Male; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/analysis; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/blood; Ergolines/therapeutic use; Dog Diseases/etiology; Dog Diseases/pathology; Dog Diseases/drug therapy; Pituitary Neoplasms/veterinary; Pituitary Neoplasms/complications; Pituitary Neoplasms/pathology; Adenoma/veterinary; Adenoma/complications; Adenoma/pathology; Cushing Syndrome/veterinary; Cushing Syndrome/etiology

Abstract :

[en] A 12-year-old, male Labrador Retriever was presented because of polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, joint pain, and physical features consistent with acromegaly. Circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration was increased (> 1000 ng/mL; reference interval [RI], 42-449), suggestive of hypersomatotropism. An abnormal low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and increased circulating adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) concentration indicated pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism. Computed tomography identified an enlarged pituitary gland. Treatment with cabergoline initially decreased circulating IGF-1 and ACTH concentrations and urinary cortisol-to-creatinine ratio (UCCR), with a notable reduction in acromegalic physical features. However, 7 months after the start of cabergoline treatment, IGF-1, ACTH, and UCCR had increased again, although pituitary gland size remained stable. Because of worsening joint pain, euthanasia was performed. On necropsy, double immunohistochemistry identified pituitary tumor cells with cytoplasmic co-expression of both growth hormone (GH) and ACTH, consistent with a monomorphic plurihormonal macroadenoma. This case shows that concurrent hypersomatotropism and hypercortisolism can occur in dogs caused by a plurihormonal pituitary adenoma.

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Soler Arias, Elber A ; Unidad de Endocrinología, Hospital Escuela de Veterinaria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Servicio de Endocrinología Veterinaria, Endovett, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rodas Elvir, Ricardo ; Servicio de Nefrourología, RenalvetCR, Hospital Veterinario Intensivet, San José, Costa Rica

Daly, Adrian ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques

Kooistra, Hans S ; Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Language :

English

Title :

Hypersomatotropism and Hypercortisolism Caused by a Plurihormonal Pituitary Adenoma in a Dog.

Publication date :

2025

Journal title :

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

ISSN :

0891-6640

eISSN :

1939-1676

Publisher :

Wiley, Malden, Us ma

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

e70177

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 17 June 2025

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