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Uri Nahum, Julie Refardt, Irina Chifu, Wiebke K Fenske, Martin Fassnacht, Gabor Szinnai, Mirjam Christ-Crain, and Marc Pfister

Objective

Differentiation between central diabetes insipidus (cDI) and primary polydipsia (PP) remains challenging in clinical practice. Although the hypertonic saline infusion test led to high diagnostic accuracy, it is a laborious test requiring close monitoring of plasma sodium levels. As such, we leverage machine learning (ML) to facilitate differential diagnosis of cDI.

Design

We analyzed data of 59 patients with cDI and 81 patients with PP from a prospective multicenter study evaluating the hypertonic saline test as new test approach to diagnose cDI. Our primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of the ML-based algorithm in differentiating cDI from PP patients.

Methods

The data set used included 56 clinical, biochemical, and radiological covariates. We identified a set of five covariates which were crucial for differentiating cDI from PP patients utilizing standard ML methods. We developed ML-based algorithms on the data and validated them with an unseen test data set.

Results

Urine osmolality, plasma sodium and glucose, known transsphenoidal surgery, or anterior pituitary deficiencies were selected as input parameters for the basic ML-based algorithm. Testing it on an unseen test data set resulted in a high area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.87. A further improvement of the ML-based algorithm was reached with the addition of MRI characteristics and the results of the hypertonic saline infusion test (AUC: 0.93 and 0.98, respectively).

Conclusion

The developed ML-based algorithm facilitated differentiation between cDI and PP patients with high accuracy even if only clinical information and laboratory data were available, thereby possibly avoiding cumbersome clinical tests in the future.

Free access

Julie Refardt, Clara Odilia Sailer, Irina Chifu, Bettina Winzeler, Ingeborg Schnyder, Martin Fassnacht, Wiebke Fenske, Mirjam Christ-Crain, and the CODDI-Investigators

Background

Diagnosis and treatment of dysnatremia is challenging and further complicated by the pitfalls of different sodium measurement methods. Routinely used sodium measurements are the indirect (plasma/serum) and direct (whole blood) ion-selective electrode (ISE) method, showing discrepant results especially in the setting of acute illness. Few clinicians are aware of the differences between the methods in clinically stable patients or healthy volunteers.

Methods

Data of 140 patients and 91 healthy volunteers undergoing osmotic stimulation with hypertonic saline infusion were analyzed. Sodium levels were measured simultaneously by indirect and direct ISE method before and at different time points during osmotic stimulation up to a sodium threshold of ≥150 mmol/L. The primary outcome was the difference in sodium levels between the indirect and direct ISE method.

Results

878 sodium measurements were analyzed. Mean (s.d.) sodium levels ranged from 141 mmol/L (2.9) to 151 mmol/L (2.1) by the indirect ISE compared to 140 mmol/L (3) to 149 mmol/L (2.8) by the direct ISE method. The interclass correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.844 (95% CI: 0.823–0.863). On average, measurements by the indirect ISE were 1.9 mmol/L (95% CI limits: −3.2 to 6.9) higher than those by the direct ISE method (P < 0.001). The tendency of the indirect ISE method resulting in higher levels increased with increasing sodium levels.

Conclusion

Intra-individual sodium levels differ significantly between the indirect and direct ISE method also in the absence of acute illness. It is therefore crucial to adhere to the same method in critical situations to avoid false decisions due to measurement differences.

Free access

Goce Spasovski, Raymond Vanholder, Bruno Allolio, Djillali Annane, Steve Ball, Daniel Bichet, Guy Decaux, Wiebke Fenske, Ewout J Hoorn, Carole Ichai, Michael Joannidis, Alain Soupart, Robert Zietse, Maria Haller, Sabine van der Veer, Wim Van Biesen, and Evi Nagler

Hyponatraemia, defined as a serum sodium concentration <135 mmol/l, is the most common disorder of body fluid and electrolyte balance encountered in clinical practice. It can lead to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, from subtle to severe or even life threatening, and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity and length of hospital stay in patients presenting with a range of conditions. Despite this, the management of patients remains problematic. The prevalence of hyponatraemia in widely different conditions and the fact that hyponatraemia is managed by clinicians with a broad variety of backgrounds have fostered diverse institution- and speciality-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment. To obtain a common and holistic view, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA–EDTA), represented by European Renal Best Practice (ERBP), have developed the Clinical Practice Guideline on the diagnostic approach and treatment of hyponatraemia as a joint venture of three societies representing specialists with a natural interest in hyponatraemia. In addition to a rigorous approach to methodology and evaluation, we were keen to ensure that the document focused on patient-important outcomes and included utility for clinicians involved in everyday practice.

Free access

Goce Spasovski, Raymond Vanholder, Bruno Allolio, Djillali Annane, Steve Ball, Daniel Bichet, Guy Decaux, Wiebke Fenske, Ewout J Hoorn, Carole Ichai, Michael Joannidis, Alain Soupart, Robert Zietse, Maria Haller, Sabine van der Veer, Wim Van Biesen, and Evi Nagler

Free access

Charlotte Michaela Fries, Yoon Ju Bae, Nada Rayes, Benjamin Sandner, Berend Isermann, Michael Stumvoll, Valentina Fagotto, Martin Reincke, Martin Bidlingmaier, Vogel Mandy, Jürgen Kratzsch, and Wiebke Kristin Fenske

Objective

Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become state of the art for the quantitative analysis of steroid hormones. Although method comparisons show that aldosterone measurement using LC-MS/MS yields considerably lower levels than immunoassays (IAs), method-specific cutoff values for primary aldosteronism (PA) are largely missing. Objective of this study was to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of proposed LC-MS/MS-specific cutoff values for the saline infusion test (SIT).

Design and methods

From 2016 to 2019, 104 consecutive patients suspected of PA underwent the SIT and captopril challenge test in the tertiary medical center at the University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany. Patients with positive case confirmation underwent adrenal imaging and adrenal venous sampling for subtype classification.

Results

Overall, proposed assay-specific PACLC-MS/MS cutoff values for the SIT achieved higher diagnostic accuracy than established PACIA values with a sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% (95% CI: 71.0–96.5) and 97% (95% CI: 89.6–99.6) for a cutoff of 120 pmol/L and 93.8% (95% CI: 79.2–99.2) and 92.5% (95% CI: 83.4–97.5) for a cutoff of 94 pmol/L. The most accurate post-SIT PACLC-MS/MS cutoff value in this study was 83 pmol/L, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 96.9% (95% CI: 83.8–99.9) and 92.5% (95% CI: 83.4–97.5), respectively.

Conclusions

The present data confirm the need for the implication of lower method-specific aldosterone cutoff values for the diagnosis of PA with LC-MS/MS based aldosterone measurement.

Free access

Clara O Sailer, Bettina Winzeler, Sandrine A Urwyler, Ingeborg Schnyder, Julie Refardt, Anne Eckert, Nimmy Varghese, Martin Fassnacht, Irina Chifu, Elizabeth A Lawson, Joseph G Verbalis, Wiebke Fenske, and Mirjam Christ-Crain

Objective

Oxytocin, secreted into circulation through the posterior pituitary, regulates lactation, weight, and socio-behavioral functioning. Oxytocin deficiency has been suggested in patients with hypopituitarism; however, diagnostic testing for oxytocin deficiency has not been developed. The aim of this study was to investigate known pituitary provocation tests to stimulate plasma oxytocin.

Design

Sixty-five healthy volunteers underwent either the hypertonic saline or arginine infusion test, known to stimulate copeptin, or the oral macimorelin test, known to stimulate growth hormone. Plasma oxytocin was measured before and once plasma sodium level ≥ 150 mmol/L for the hypertonic saline, after 60 min for the arginine infusion, and after 45 min for the oral macimorelin test (expected peak of copeptin and growth hormone levels, respectively). Primary outcome was a change from basal to stimulated oxytocin levels using paired t-tests.

Results

As expected, copeptin increased in response to hypertonic saline and arginine infusion (P < 0.001), and growth hormone increased to oral macimorelin (P < 0.001). Oxytocin increased in response to hypertonic saline infusion from 0.4 (0.2) to 0.6 pg/mL (0.3) (P = 0.003) but with a high variance. There was no change to arginine infusion (P = 0.4), and a trend to lower stimulated levels to oral macimorelin (P = 0.05).

Conclusion

Neither the arginine infusion nor the oral macimorelin test stimulates plasma oxytocin levels, whereas there was an increase with high variance upon hypertonic saline infusion. As a predictable rise in most participants is required for a reliable pituitary provocation test, none of the investigated pituitary provocation tests can be recommended diagnostically to identify patients with an oxytocin deficiency.