Diagnostic Power of Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling with Desmopressin in Paediatric Cushing’s Disease.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) with desmopressin for pediatric Cushing’s disease (CD).

METHODS

We reviewed studies performed in children that evaluated the accuracy of BIPSS with desmopressin.

RESULTS

All included studies were case series of children with adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. The overall accuracy of BIPSS before stimulation was 84.1% (37/44), and after stimulation it was 92.3% (36/39). The overall lateralizing accuracy of BIPSS was 50.0%.

CONCLUSION

Considering that available evidence is limited, it appears that BIPSS with desmopressin stimulation is accurate for the diagnosis of pediatric CD, but its lateralizing accuracy is probably not suitable for pediatric clinical practice.