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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
[Ectopic ACTH syndrome and severe hypokalaemia]
A Servonnet1, H Delacour, X Roux
1Fédération de biologie clinique, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Robert Picqué, Bordeaux. a_servonnet@yahoo.fr
Abstract:
Cushing's syndrome is rare and remains a challenge to diagnose. Particularly difficult are the differentiation between Cushing's syndrome and Pseudo-Cushing's states and between the two forms of ACTH dependent Cushing's: Cushing's disease and ectopic ACTH syndrome. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with a metastatic small cells lung carcinoma associated with ectopic ACTH-syndrome. Hypokalaemia was a clue to diagnosis. We focus on critical questions addressing diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome and we explain the mechanism of hypokalaemia.
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