Exophthalmos-Producing Activity in the Serum and in the Pituitary of Patients with Cushing's Syndrome and Acromegaly

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Abstract
In the serum of 5 exophthalmic patients with Cushing's syndrome and of 2 exophthalmic patients with acromegaly, an elevated titer of EPS was found. Two patients underwent pituitary surgery and 2 were treated by pituitary x-ray irradiation. In all of them the exophthalmogenic activity disappeared from the serum, while the ocular symptoms simultaneously regressed. In one patient, the EPS activity increased and the exophthalmos remained unchanged following total adrenalectomy. In one patient with Cushing's syndrome and in 3 acromegalics who showed no eye signs, serum tests were negative. In pituitary tissue of 2 patients with Cushing's syndrome obtained at operation, an elevated exophthalmogenic activity was found. By control experiments necessary for the evaluation of these findings, it was established that human pituitary glands obtained at autopsy contain an exophthalmos-producing substance.

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