[Recent progress in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes insipidus]

Recent progress in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes insipidus (DI) is reviewed. Response of plasma vasopressin (AVP) to 5% hypertonic saline can be a new indicator of the capacity of AVP response to osmotic stimuli. Marked progress in the imaging analysis by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made it possible to evaluate hypothalamic-pituitary lesions in detail. Especially, signal intensity on T1-weighted MR image of neurohypophysis is suggested to reflect its function. Sequencing analysis of genes encoding AVP-neurophysin precursor or AVP receptor is expected to be a most useful method for the diagnosis of inherited DI. Intranasal administration of DDAVP (1-deamino-8-D-AVP) is recommended as a standard therapy for DI.