Identification of Myocardial Insulin Resistance by Using Liver Tests: A Simple Approach for Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: We report that myocardial insulin resistance (mIR) occurs in around 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in comparison with patients with insulin-sensitive myocardium (mIS). These two phenotypes (mIR vs. mIS) can only be assessed using time-consuming and expensive methods. The aim of the present study is to search a simple and reliable surrogate to identify both phenotypes. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with T2D underwent myocardial [18F]FDG PET/CT at baseline and after a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC) to determine mIR were prospectively recruited. Biochemical assessments were performed before and after the HEC. Baseline hepatic steatosis index and index of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4) were calculated. Furthermore, liver stiffness measurement was performed using transient elastography. RESULTS: The best model to predict the presence of mIR was the combination of transaminases, protein levels, FIB-4 score and HOMA (AUC = 0.95; sensibility: 0.81; specificity: 0.95). We observed significantly higher levels of fibrosis in patients with mIR than in those with mIS (p = 0.034). In addition, we found that patients with mIR presented a reduced glucose uptake by the liver in comparison with patients with mIS. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of HOMA, protein, transaminases and FIB-4 is a simple and reliable tool for identifying mIR in patients with T2D. This information will be useful to improve the stratification of cardiovascular risk in T2D.

Phenotyping Type 2 Diabetes in Terms of Myocardial Insulin Resistance and Its Potential Cardiovascular Consequences: A New Strategy Based on 18F-FDG PET/CT.

BACKGROUND: Systemic insulin resistance is generally postulated as an independent risk factor of cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the role of myocardial insulin resistance (mIR) remains to be clarified. METHODS: Two 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed on forty-three T2D patients at baseline and after hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC). Myocardial insulin sensitivity (mIS) was determined by measuring the increment in myocardial 18F-FDG uptake after HEC. Coronary artery calcium scoring (CACs) and myocardial radiodensity (mRD) were assessed by CT. RESULTS: After HEC, seventeen patients exhibited a strikingly enhancement of myocardial 18F-FDG uptake and twenty-six a marginal increase, thus revealing mIS and mIR, respectively. Patients with mIR showed higher mRD (HU: 38.95 [33.81-44.06] vs. 30.82 [21.48-38.02]; p = 0.03) and CACs > 400 (AU: 52% vs. 29%; p = 0.002) than patients with mIS. In addition, HOMA-IR and mIS only showed a correlation in those patients with mIR. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET combined with HEC is a reliable method for identifying patients with mIR. This subgroup of patients was found to be specifically at high risk of developing cardiovascular events and showed myocardial structural changes. Moreover, the gold-standard HOMA-IR index was only associated with mIR in this subgroup of patients. Our results open up a new avenue for stratifying patients with cardiovascular risk in T2D.

Laparoscopic Right Adrenalectomy in a Large Right Adrenal Oncocytic Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Adrenocortical carcinomas are rare and aggressive tumors. The recently described oncocytic subtype has been reported approximately 40 times in the literature.1 In this video, we describe an unusual case of a large adrenal oncocytic carcinoma, its minimally invasive approach, and its anatomopathological features. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 43-year-old male presented to the emergency room with acute abdominal pain and fever. Blood tests showed 20,000 white blood cells and a reactive C-protein of 25. Tomography showed a large right adrenal tumor with necrosis. Antibiotics were started at the intensive care unit. A complete study showed normal tests, including hormones, cortisol, and metanephrines. At the multidisciplinary team meeting it was decided to perform a right transabdominal laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The tumor was approached from the medial side to the lateral side, always controlling the inferior vena cava. Indocyanine green was used to identify vascular structures. Anatomical pathology revealed a 15 cm lesion corresponding to a malignant adrenal oncocytic carcinoma according to the modified Lin-Weis-Bisceglia criteria.2 The patient was discharged without complications on the fifth day. He is receiving mitotane and is disease-free 5 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Oncocytic subtype is a rare entity described only a few times in the literature. Surgical treatment is of choice due to its curative potential, and the open versus laparoscopic approach will be chosen depending on the size of the tumor and the surgeon's experience. It is believed that this subtype may have a less aggressive behavior than the typical adrenal carcinoma,1 therefore its better understanding may help to define therapeutic decisions and prognosis in the future.