Table 1.
Hormonal and clinical variables in individual patient clusters
| Cluster A | Cluster B | Cluster C | Significance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographical features | ||||
| Sex distribution (male/female) | 5/15 | 2/14 | 2/2 | NS |
| Age (years) | 45.1 ± 3.01 | 36.7 ± 3.18 | 30.3 ± 3.74 | P < 0.05 |
| Hormonal parameters | ||||
| Urinary free cortisol (μg 24 h‐1) | 547.4 ± 153.4 | 690.9 ± 120.8 | 474.7 ± 179.2 | NS |
| Plasma ACTH (pg mL‐1) | 89.2 ± 13.9 | 63.1 ± 6.15 | 45.3 ± 3.22 | NS |
| Morning serum cortisol (μg dL‐1) | 23.5 ± 1.28 | 19.6 ± 1.60 | 18.5 ± 2.20 | NS |
| Midnight serum cortisol (μg dL‐1) | 20.5 ± 1.48 | 19.8 ± 2.52 | 18.2 ± 6.00 | NS |
| Cortisol after 1 mg of dexamethasone (μg dL‐1) | 16.5 ± 1.98 | 15.5 ± 2.83 | 7.95 ± 4.55 | NS |
| Cortisol suppression after 8 mg dexamethasone (% baseline) | 34.9 ± 9.44 | 43.0 ± 13.51 | 11.6 ± 1.81 | NS |
| ACTH peak after corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (% baseline) | 341.9 ± 93.8 | 271.5 ± 79.4 | 392.1 ± 57.4 | NS |
| Macroadenoma (%) | 50% | 6.2% | 0% | P < 0.005 |
| Extrasellar extension (%) | 55% | 6.2% | 0% | P < 0.005 |
| Pathology findings | ||||
| Tumour diameter (mm) | 10.1 ± 1.52 | 7.0 ± 0.64 | 6.7 ± 0.25 | NS |
| ACTH immunoreactive cells (%) | 86.0 ± 2.48 | 84.1 ± 3.54 | 93.7 ± 1.25 | NS |
| Crooke cells (absent/slight/moderate) | 45%/45%/10% | 69%/25%/6% | 75%/25%/0% | NS |
| Cellular atypia (absent/slight) | 55%/45% | 75%/25% | 100%/0% | NS |
| Surgical outcomes | ||||
| Immediate remission (%) | 85% | 87.5% | 100% | NS |
| Relapse (%) | 6% | 0% | 0% | NS |
| Length on steroid replacement therapy (months) | 19.3 ± 5.9 | 16.9 ± 3.5 | 23.2 ± 12.1 | NS |
Data are the mean ± SEM or percentage. ACTH, adrenocorticotrophic hormone; NS, not significant.