Acromegaly

[liveonearth]

What are the face, skull and foot changes seen with acromegaly?


ACROMEGALY
--dt pituitary eosinophilic adenoma secreting growth hormone AFTER growth plates have fused

--excessive growth hormone production PRIOR to closure of long bone growth ctrs-->gigantism:


-->back to acromegaly

--facial changes: prominent forehead, thickened tongue

--hands: broad and large, widened shafts, bony protuberances, enlarged distal tufts (spade like), widened joint spaces (dt cartilage overgrowth)


--predisposition to degenerative arthritis, esp of spine and weight bearing jts
--predisposition to carpal tunnel syndrome dt extra bone @ tendon attachments
--feet: heel pds greater than 20mm thick dt soft tissue and spurs

--spine: increased size, hyperostoses, widened disc heights, posterior body scalloping
--skull: sella turcica enlargement (dt pituitary neoplasm), sinus overgrowth (esp frontal), malocclusion, widened mandibular angle (prognathism, jaw goes down not forward)
--prognathism:

--sella turcica and frontal sinus here:


Treatment flowchart:

Comments

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's a trip. People get some strange afflictions, don't they.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

It takes all kinds. From cruising the pictures on the internet, I'd say that people born with acromegaly have high odds of ending up "freaks" or giants at circuses....

[machmed.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'm kind of squeamish, so I really hate how I have to look at that every time I scroll down my friend's page. :(

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Is it the skull or the feet that bother you?

[machmed.livejournal.com]

The icky feet. :x

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

I thought that was the case. I put the feet behind the cut so you can scroll without dread of icky feet.

[machmed.livejournal.com]

Well thanks. :p